Farther from the Truth
by RatedrKjErIcHo
Summary: Arianna DiBiase and John Cena have always had a love hate relationship. He thinks she is self absorbed and she thinks he is conceded. What happens when they get stuck together and learn that they couldn't be farther from the truth. A story for Hailey Egan
1. Chapter 1

Arianna DiBiase sat in her brother's locker room, pacing back and forth. She was waiting on Ted and his Legacy stable mates to return so that they could go back to the hotel. She loved her brother and loved spending time with him and his friends. Well most of them anyway. The sight of John Cena seemed to make her want to claw her skin off. With his cockiness and his smug smile. Okay, so maybe he was mildly attractive, what most people would consider a total babe and Arianna might have thought so too if it weren't for the fact that she had seen his kind a million times. He was the love 'em and leave 'em time and she couldn't stand that. She smiled as she heard the door to the locker room open and heard the familiar voices of Randy, Ted and Cody come strolling in bickering about something as usual.

"Took you losers long enough to get back. Your match was over like forever ago." She smiled as she hugged her brother.

"Sorry, Cody was talking to Layla." Randy smiled as the younger man blushed. "So Ari, how are things?"

"Great." She smiled hoping no one saw that it was forced. There was a knock on the door and she was relieved for the break. Cody walked toward the door and opened it.

"Hey Codes, is Randy in here? There was something I wanted to talk to him about before tonight."

She recognized the voice instantly and rolled her eyes. The one man that she was hoping to avoid was standing on the other side. Cody stepped to the side and John entered the locker room. He looked around and when his eyes landed on Arianna, his jaw clenched. The princess was among them. He had seen girls like her all the time growing up. Content to waste their lives spending Daddy's money and having everything handed to them. He couldn't understand how she and Ted were raised in the same house. They were completely different.

"I think I'm going to go to catering. Does anybody want anything?" she asked grabbing her purse and heading toward the door.

"A bottle of water." Randy said. She nodded at him and looked around at the others.

"Water sounds good." Ted said and Cody nodded in agreement. Then she turned her attention to John. She really didn't want to bring him anything but her mother had raised her to be nice.

"Don't trouble yourself Princess." He mumbled not even looking in her direction.

"I wouldn't dream of troubling myself for you." She said as shoved passed him and walked out of the locker room.


	2. Chapter 2

Arianna walked into catering and plopped down at a table. She hated that man! He always had a rude remark or mumbled something under his breath when she was around. She knew what he thought of her. That she was a spoiled brat who just lounged around and spent her trust fund. What she wouldn't give to be able to prove him wrong. He knew nothing about her. She shook her head slightly laughing, wondering why she even cared what he thought. It wasn't like she was dating him or like she ever would.

She swore to herself after the last relationship ended that she wasn't going to date for a while. It hadn't been that long, just a few weeks, since she'd caught him with the other girl. A girl she thought was her friend. Josh had not been even a little remorseful. They argued. Then he did the unthinkable. He hit her. She hadn't told her brothers.

She snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed the water heading back to the locker room. She was relieved to see that John had left. She handed the guys their water and sat back in the corner waiting for them to pack up. She had been looking forward to spending a few weeks on the road and getting away from everything.

"So Ari, we're going out to the club tonight, you wanna go with us?" Ted asked

"Sounds like fun. Besides, someone has to keep you guys out of trouble." She laughed.

John sat in his locker room and wondered if he should go out tonight. He was sure that she would be there. Little Miss Spend Daddy's money. No real goals or ambition in life. Always looking for someone to pick up the bill. It made him sick. He'd been involved with girls like that before and he had always found out to late that it was his money that they loved and not him. He shook his head and finished putting his ring gear in his gym bag suddenly wondering why he even cared. It wasn't like he was dating her or ever would. He snapped out his thoughts as someone knocked on the door to his locker room. He walked over and opened it.

"I was elected to ride with you since apparently there is no room in Ted's car. Cody just had to have Layla sitting beside him. Not that they won't be glued together tonight at the club anyway." He rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag, pushing past her out of the locker room. This night just kept going from bad to worse. He stalked out to the car and threw his stuff in the back. He started the car barely waiting for her to get in before he pulled out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

"Could you for just one second not act like a complete dick?" she said buckling her seatbelt. The muscle in his jaw flinched. He had never been so annoyed by someone.

"Better a dick than someone with no purpose in life." He mumbled.

"Whatever." They pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and she bolted from the car before he had even put it in park. She ran upstairs to her room and began to get ready for the club. After he encounter with John she needed a drink.

John walked into the room he shared with Randy and threw his gym bag on the floor and plopped down on his bead in frustration.

"You alright man?" Randy asked stepping out of the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth.

"That woman! I swear I don't see how she and Ted are related. Do you know she called me a dick on the ride back here? I do her a favor and she calls me a dick? How ungrateful!"

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were attracted to her." John shot Randy a death glare and threw a pillow from the bed at him. Randy laughed and headed to the door.

"I will wait for you in the lobby." Randy walked out and John got up and showered, changing into a pair of jeans and a plain button down shirt. He checked to make sure that he had his key card and pushed the button for the elevator. The door opened and he stepped inside.

The elevator stopped on the next floor and his head shot up as the door opened. Arianna was standing there in front of him in a black mini dress and a pair of silver stilettos. Her dirty blond hair was curled slightly and she had a small clutch purse. He couldn't help but think for a split second that she really was a beautiful woman. That split second ended when she saw that he was her riding companion and opened her mouth to speak.

"God, can't I just have an enjoyable night without having to run into you?" she said as she pushed the button for the lobby.

"This is no picnic for me either Barbie. You do know that it's about 20 degrees below zero outside right? Aren't you a little under dressed?"

"I won't be standing outside the club very long." She smirked.

"Yeah, I forgot. You drop the name and get in. Must be such a hard life." He said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You know what you're problem is?" She asked getting right up in his face.

"No, why don't you tell me?" he responded. Just as the words left his mouth, the elevator lurched to a stop send the two of them into the wall. The lights flickered and then they were in complete darkness.

He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and searched for service. He had none. She grabbed her cell out of her purse. Neither did she. Arianna banged on the door and yelled tirelessly for a few minutes.

"You might as well sit down. It looks like we are going to be stuck in here for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

Arianna sat down and sighed. She hated this. She was supposed to be at the club dancing and having the time of her life with her brother and his friends. Instead she was stuck in this cold elevator with him. The one man that she hated more than anything. She took her heels off and slumped down on the floor as far away from John as possible. He hadn't spoken a word to her in a few minutes and she both enjoyed and feared the quiet. She enjoyed it because he wasn't insulting or annoying her but she feared it because it left her alone with her own thoughts. The very thoughts that she was so desperate to get away from.

John ran his hands over his hair and roughly down his face. This night was not at all going the way he wanted it to. He was stuck in the elevator with her. The Princess as he called her. But at least she was being quiet. The quiet however, was both a blessing and a curse. It left him alone with this thoughts. He was supposed to be at the club dancing and having a good time with his friends and forgetting all about Liz. It had been nearly eight months but sometimes it felt like yesterday. They had been through a lot in their time together. They had their routine. They would fight, break up, make up and get back together. The last time had been really bad. He'd caught her red handed cheating. He didn't feel like fighting anymore. Didn't feel like he could continue in this toxic cycle they had created for themselves. So he told her he was done. He packed a bag and headed to a hotel for the night. He came back the next morning to find his house trashed and most of his stuff gone. Arianna shifting broke him out of his thoughts. She was a beautiful girl but he couldn't understand how they were all the same. Gold diggers who had no substance. He had fallen for that once and he was determined not to let that happen again.

"Could you please be a little quieter?" he asked her as she tried to get herself comfortable.

"Excuse me, I'm just trying to get myself a little more comfortable. You know this dress is good for dancing but not so much sitting in an elevator with a guy you can't stand." She sneered.

"Believe me Princess, the feeling is mutual." He shot back

She looked a little wounded by his crassness and settled down. She only hoped that someone would come looking for them soon or this could get pretty miserable.


	4. Chapter 4

John sat along one wall and Arianna sat along another, neither of them saying a word to the other one. They had been sitting in the dark elevator for what seemed like an eternity and neither of them had said a word since they had confessed their mutual hatred for one another. He glanced over at her and then stared straight ahead again.

Arianna sat there on the floor in the cold elevator with her knees up to her chest as best she could without flashing John. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to preserve what little body heat she had left. She heard him sigh loudly and wished that she was in the elevator with anyone else. She looked in his direction and noticed that his arm was extended offering her his coat. She grabbed the jacket and slipped it on grateful for the warmth. There was another few moments of awkward silence between them before she finally looked over at him and spoke.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't let you freeze to death. Ted would never forgive me."

"What is your problem? I actually think for a split second that you have some good in you and you go and turn right back into the asshole I've known the past eight months. Why do you hate me?" she asked standing up. His eyes shot up at her and he couldn't help but smile. She looked like a little kid playing dress up. "What the hell are you smiling at?" The smile faded and he rose to his feet before either of them realized it.

"I have no idea. I'm looking at a useless waste of space who is content to ride on the coattails of her father's fame and spend his money. You don't care about anything but the next poor guy you can sink your gold digging hooks into and bleed dry." The muscles in his jaw clenched as he finished his sentence. Her brown eyes held a mixture of hurt, disgust and pure anger.

"Useless waste of space? You don't know anything about me there, Champ. Let me tell you a little something. I worked my way through college. I graduated with two degrees and I know five languages. I have been making my own money since I was sixteen years old and next year when I do get my trust fund, it's all going to the pediatric AIDS foundation. I work for a very reputable design firm back home and I haven't been to a party in nearly six years. When I get off of work, I go home to my lonely apartment and my cat." Regret instantly filled his face and he stood there quietly. "Let me guess, you based your assumptions on a past relationship that I'm willing to bet didn't go so well. What? She dump you because there wasn't enough room in the relationship for you, her and your enormous ego? Get over yourself. You aren't any better than anyone else because you've held a title. Okay so you're mildly attractive and you have all these little teenage girls falling all over you. That doesn't mean a damn thing to me. You, John Cena are not God's Gift to anything!" She threw his jacket on the ground and walked over to the other side of the elevator.

"I'm not the only one who jumped to conclusions there Princess. I do a lot of charitable work, I donate time and money to the Make A Wish foundation and I work 300 days out of the year to entertain the masses. I go home to my lonely house except for when I bring a few friends home. I go overseas every Christmas to entertain the troops. I have busted my ass for everything I have and I am grateful for every single second of it."

This time it was her turn to look remorseful. She had no idea about all of his charitable acts. Sure, she knew her brother and his coworkers did things like that but she had no idea that John was one of them. Again there was silence. After what seemed like an eternity, he looked at her and picked his jacket up off the floor, forcing it back on her shoulders.

"Just keep the jacket. Give it to Ted and I will get it back from him."

She looked up at him and smiled slightly.

"Thank you again."


	5. Chapter 5

The silence in the elevator seemed to last forever before Arianna looked over at John and finally spoke.

"Is it true what you told me? You really do all of those charity events?" He turned his head to look at her and nodded. She sat quietly in the corner of the elevator examining her nails.

"Do you really know five languages?" She nodded her head. "What languages?"

"French, English, Russian, German and Italian."

"Impressive. You really giving up your trust fund?"

"Yeah. I have over $500,000 of my own money saved up. I don't need my Dad's money. He gave it to me as a courtesy. I'm his favorite and his only daughter."

"Those assumptions I made about you, you were right. They were based on an ex. She put me through two of the most hellish years of my life." Arianna absently shook her head. She knew what that was like.

"Anyway, I'm sorry for calling you a waste of space."

"I believe it was a useless waste of space." She smiled slightly. He chuckled. "And apology accepted. Sorry for calling you a dick earlier."

"I kinda was being a dick." He smiled. "So now that we don't hate each other, can we work on being friends?"

"Yeah. I can tell you a lot of embarrassing stories to use against Ted. Brett and I still torment him about some of them." She giggled slightly. John laughed and she realized how much more than mildly attractive he was. She shook the thought out of her head as the elevator jerked into motion and caused her to go crashing into John's chest. He looked at her and the muscles in his jaw clenched again but this time was different from the other times. She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip slightly as the elevator stopped. She pulled away from him and grabbed her purse and her shoes from the corner where she had sat them before. The elevator opened and Ted, Randy, Cody and Layla were standing there waiting on them. Ted looked at his sister wearing John's jacket and raised an eyebrow that nobody else saw.

"You guys alright?" Cody asked. "The idea of the two of you being stuck in the elevator together scared us all. We thought the door would open and you guys would both be dead." Randy laughed slightly but took note of the different way his friend was looking at Arianna.

"There's always another time for that." Arianna said casting a glance at John who was trying to hide the smile on his face. She slid his jacket off of her shoulders and handed it back to him. "Thanks for letting me borrow your jacket. I don't feel much like going out anymore, I think I'm going to head off to bed. Night guys." She looked at the elevator and then headed for the stairs. She needed time to be alone and process her thoughts. She couldn't even think straight. She had seen a whole different side of John tonight and she didn't know quite what to think. She kind of liked it. She bit her lip again as she heard the door to the stairwell open. She turned to see who was behind her and was surprised to see it was John.

"Aren't you going out?"

"Nah, I figured I would head on up. It's been a long night." She nodded simply and they headed up the stairs together. "So when can we start talking about Ted and embarrassing stories?" he asked.

"How about tomorrow? Yelling at you took a lot out of me." She smiled as they walked up to the door to her room.

"Sure. How about dinner?"

"Sounds great. Meet you at your car after the show." She nodded and pulled her key card out of her purse. "Goodnight John."

"Goodnight Arianna." He hugged her and turned toward the stairs to walk up to his floor. He stopped at the door and called her name as she was about to walk into the room. She turned to look at him. "I'm glad we decided to try and be friends."

"Me too." She opened the door and went inside. She leaned against the door, her head reeling. She needed to get some sleep and maybe all of the thoughts swirling in her head would make more sense. All she knew what that at the moment, she didn't hate John Cena.


	6. Chapter 6

_The elevator jerked into motion causing her to go crashing into John's chest. The muscles in his jaw clenched but it was different than the other times. Arianna bit her bottom lip slightly. He smiled and brought his head down, his lips touching hers._

Arianna shot up in her bed and brought her fingers to her lips. She didn't realize where she was for a few minutes. She sighed and settled back in bed. So much for sleep helping to sort out her thoughts. Yesterday she had hated John Cena with a passion and now she was dreaming about kissing him. They had agreed to try and be friends and she had agreed to have dinner with him. She couldn't figure out what was happening. How could she go from hating the sight of him to being….attracted to him? She shook her head and swung her feet to meet the floor as a knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.

"Let's go get some breakfast." Ted said as he walked past her into her room. He had been having his own issues. He had been thinking about Arianna wearing John's jacket and the way John had been looking at her when they came out of the elevator. They hated each other. Neither of them had kept that a secret but something had changed between them while they were in that elevator and it was his job as her big brother to figure out what that was.

"Good Morning to you too." He turned around and looked at her as she walked back over to the bed and sat down. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit at…" she looked at the clock "6AM? Are you insane?"

"What happened between you and Cena last night?"

"Nothing. I yelled at him. He yelled at me. We got over our issues and we're going to try and be friends. I thought you'd be happy. It will cause less stress for you if I like your friends and they like me. Chill out."

"Do you like him or LIKE him?" Ted asked. Arianna smiled at her brother as he stood there with his arms crossed reminding her of a thirteen year old girl.

"Teddy, John and I are friends. Up until yesterday I hated his guts. I promise you I have no desire to be anything other than friends with him. Now get out of my room and let me go back to sleep for an hour or so or you are so going to regret it." Ted sighed as he walked to the door.

"I'm just looking out for you kid. You know you are still my little sister." He said giving her a hug. "I love you Ari."

"I love you too Teddy."

John was in the gym lifting weights and completely oblivious to anything that was going on around him. He was plugged into his headphones and more in the zone than Randy had ever seen him.

Sleeping had done little to help sort out John's thoughts. His head was a swirl of activity and he didn't know what was going on. Yesterday he had hated her and now his mind kept going back to how they'd almost kissed in the elevator. At least he thought they had. She looked almost as if she wanted him to kiss her. And truth be told he did. He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Randy standing there looking at him.

"You ok? You haven't been yourself since yesterday."

"I'm good man I swear." Randy nodded his head.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with you being stuck in the elevator with Ari yesterday would it?"

"What? No. You're crazy dude."

"I saw the way you were looking at her when you guys came out of the elevator. It's the same way I looked at Sam when we first started dating. Do you like her?"

"Up until yesterday I hated her but I…..I don't know man. She's different than I expected."

"Ari is a good girl. I love you both but if you're going to pursue her, then you need to keep it secret for a little while."

"I'm not pursuing her. We're just friends."

"Alright I'm just saying."

Later that night, Arianna sat in Ted's locker room and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She had opted for a pair of jeans and her purple off the shoulder top. She pulled at her black boots and fixed her earring as she heard the locker room door open. Ted and Randy walked in and stopped when they saw her.

"Damn Ari, if Ted wasn't so anal and I wasn't a married man….." Ted shot him a death glare and he trailed off mid sentence.

"I will take that as a compliment." She giggled as she turned her attention to her brother who wasn't at all happy with how she was dressed.

"Where are you going?"

"Out to dinner with a friend."

"Who is this friend?"

"Why does it matter? Oh, I get it. You think I'm going on a date and you're going in to Big Brother mode. Well if you must know, John invited me to dinner last night so we could work on being friends and I accepted. Stop with the Big Brother thing or I will tell him about the time you decided you wanted to play Superman and you and Brett decided to jump off the roof of the house and Brett jumped but you…" Ted put his hand over her mouth and turned red and Randy laughed. "You messed up my lip gloss!"

"What am I going to do with you?" Ted asked. There was a knock on the locker room door and Randy opened it to see John standing there. He smirked at him and took a look back at Ari fixing her makeup

"She's almost ready."

"Is Ted in there?"

"Yeah and he isn't real happy about you going to dinner with his little sister which you forgot to mention to me earlier. We will talk about that later." Randy whispered as Ari grabbed her coat and her purse and came up behind Randy to see that John was standing there. Randy's smiled widened when he saw the way his friend was looking at Ari.

"You ready to go?" John asked. Ari nodded her head and ducked underneath Randy's arm turning to look at him and Ted who by now had joined Randy at the door. She decided to mess with her brother even more. She smiled and winked at John.

"Hey Teddy, don't wait up." She said as she and John walked off toward his car.


	7. Chapter 7

Arianna looked at John across the table as he was laughing at the story she had just told him. He was laughing so hard he almost had tears in his eyes.

"So he actually peed his pants?"

"Yeah, Mama hosed him off in the front yard. She wouldn't let him come in the house like that." She giggled. She took a sip of her wine, the second bottle they had ordered and looked at her watch. "Holy shit its already midnight?" John looked at his watch and then back at her, a slight smile on his face.

"I guess it's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun." She took another sip of her wine and felt her face turning red. She wasn't sure if it was from his eyes being on her or from the fact that she was feeling a little tipsy. "You wanna head back to the hotel and watch a movie or something?" She nodded and he motioned the waiter over to give them the check. They paid the check and drove back to the hotel.

"So, what about you? What was your childhood like?" she asked

"Normal I guess. There were a lot of us and we are all boys so I'm sure Mom had her hands full."

They walked into the lobby of the hotel and walked the stairs to the floor her room was on. She grabbed the key card out of her purse and opened the door letting them both inside. She put her purse down on the table and pulled her boots off. She made her way over to the couch and sat down next to him.

John looked over at her and squirmed in his seat. He breathed deeply and inhaled the scent of vanilla and coconut. He kept his eyes focused on the t.v. but his mind was racing. They had a great time together. Laughing at stories from their childhoods and getting to know each other a little better. The more he found out, the more he kicked himself for jumping to conclusions about her to begin with. He glanced over at her and saw that she was watching the t v just as intently as he was. It was like there was this comfortableness between them yet there was still something slightly awkward about them hanging out. The whole dynamic of their relationship had changed in the course of the hours they had been stuck in the elevator together and he didn't know what to do. He had only begun to come to grips with the fact that he was finding himself increasingly more attracted to her. He wasn't ready to admit that to her and ruin what was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. He shook the thoughts out of his head. He had been spending way too much time at Randy and Sam's house and being forced to sit and watch all those damn chick flicks.

Arianna looked over at John as he stared off into space not really watching the movie that was playing in front of them. Neither was she. She was thinking about the dream she had earlier in the day. It felt so real to feel John kissing her. Even more than that, she had wanted it to happen. But she couldn't tell him that she was attracted to him. She had only just begun to process it all herself. She was going to be content to be friends with him and see where that took them. If it took them anywhere.

John turned off the t v and looked over at her, shifting slightly so that they were facing each other. She looked up at him, her brown eyes catching what little bit of light there was in the room. His throat was suddenly dry and he didn't know what he was going to say to her.

"When do you wanna hang out again?" he asked her

"Maybe tomorrow? I know I have to go shopping with some of the girls but maybe we can meet up and have lunch?" He nodded his head in agreement. "I had a really great time tonight. You're not as awful as I thought." He smiled at her showing off those dimples of his as she giggled at her own comment.

"Neither are you princess. Neither are you." He got up from the couch and stretched and she watched as she could see all the muscles in his chest clearly through his shirt. She stood as well and adjusted the hem of her top before he could catch her staring. "I guess I better head off to bed. Got a lot to do tomorrow." She nodded her head in agreement. "But before I forget, put your number in my phone and I will text you with all the details." She smiled and programmed her number in.

"I bet you use that line on all the girls." He laughed and put his phone back in his pocket.

"It got me your number though right?" He walked toward the door and she followed him. "I will see you in the morning Ari. Goodnight." He leaned in and gave her a hug that seemed to last forever before he turned and walked out the door and headed up to his room.

When he got there, Randy was still awake. He noticed John walk in like there was something on his mind and turned the t v down so he could figure out what was going on.

"How did things go with Ari?"

"We had dinner and laughed about a lot of things. Which reminds me, I have this great story to tell you about Ted." John said as he flopped down on the bed and looked over at his best friend.

"So why the long face?" John looked at Randy for a moment before he sat up on the side of the bed and thought for a moment before he answered. He knew that he could trust Randy. In all the time that they had been friends, he had never betrayed John's trust.

"If I tell you you have to swear to me that you won't breathe and word of it to anyone." Randy nodded his head and John sighed before speaking again. "I think I'm starting to be attracted to her."

Arianna sat in her room texting with one of the girls. She had grown close to all of the divas since she had been on the road. At the moment, she was talking to Natalya. She had to talk to someone about the way she was feeling. Cody would only tease her about it. There was a chance that Randy would run his mouth to John and Ted would go through the roof. She took a breath and bit her lip as she sent the text.

**The unthinkable has happened. I think I'm falling for John Cena.**


	8. Chapter 8

A few weeks passed and John and Arianna continued to hang out. They would grab a lunch or a movie whenever they could. Tonight they were headed to the club and John was more convinced than ever that he had to confess what he was feeling for her soon. He looked at himself in the mirror and turned when he saw Randy come into the room.

"You and Ari going out tonight?"

"Yeah, I can't take keeping this a secret anymore. I have to tell her how I feel. If she shoots me down, then we can still be friends but I have to know one way or another."

Randy smiled at his friend. He had seen the two of them together and he was pretty convinced that Ari felt the same way. He was just a little worried as to how Ted would take the news.

"Alright, good luck man and I'm here if you need to talk." John nodded and walked out of the room to get Arianna.

Arianna stood in front of the mirror in her room and looked at her reflection. She was wearing a knee length blue halter dress and she had pinned her bangs back out of her face. She fixed her lip gloss and slid her shoes on before turning to her friend Natalya for her approval.

"You look amazing. Are you sure you want to tell John how you feel tonight?" She asked sitting up on the bed and putting her phone down for a moment where she had been texting her boyfriend TJ.

"I have to. The not knowing how he feels is driving me insane. I mean, how would you feel if you had all these feelings for someone and you never took the chance."

"I know how that feels. It took TJ and I nine years to get together. He kissed me on the cheek when he was ten and I punched him. He was afraid to do it again until we were nineteen." Arianna laughed as she heard the knock on the door. She opened it and smiled at John who was eyeing her dress intently.

"You ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and grabbed her coat before smiling at her friend and walking out of the hotel room with John. They paused in front of the elevator waiting for it to arrive. "You look great." He said. She smiled and thanked him as the elevator came. They stepped inside and started down toward the lobby. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a stop and the lights went dim once again.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

"I am never taking the elevator again." He said slumping down in the floor. She sat down beside him and waited for one of them to say something. "At least this time we don't hate each other." He said. She laughed a little and looked at him.

"There's something I need to tell you." They both blurted out at the same time. They laughed and he motioned for her to go first. She took a deep breath and sighed before turning to him unsure of how to start.

"Over the past few weeks, we have actually become good friends and maybe I'm sorta kinda attracted to you." She said all in one breath before she lost her nerve. She looked over at him as he sat there. He wasn't exactly sure he had heard her right. She was attracted to him. He looked over at her and noticed the worry on her face. The same worry he himself had been dealing with earlier in the evening. Words weren't going to be enough. He had to show her how he felt. He leaned in and kissed her. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. Soon they were pressed up against the wall of the elevator, hands all over each other. They broke away from each other for a moment and she looked at him smiling.

"I was going to tell you that I'm attracted to you too. So where does this leave us?" he asked.

"Where do you want it to leave us?" she asked a devilish smile on her face.

"We could date." He said pulling her to him again.

"But what would my think?" she asked looking serious for a moment.

"Since when do you care what your brother thinks? He asked, his mouth right next to her ear. She shivered a little and smiled up at him.

"You're right. I don't". She kissed him again and the elevator jerked back into motion. The doors opened up to the lobby and she turned to look when someone cleared their throat. She turned to see Ted standing there and he did not look happy.

"Cena, get your damn hands off my sister." He yelled jerking Arianna out of the elevator by her wrist.

"Teddy, I'm a grown woman and I can make my own decisions." She snapped as she jerked away and went to stand beside John

"I don't want to be anything other than his friend." He said in a mocking voice.

"That was before I got to know him. I really like John. He's a great guy. At least I'm not dating a dirt bag like the last time."

"DATING?"  
"Well yeah, we're sorta dating now." John said putting his arm around her waist. Ted's faced turned red and he pushed past them and got on the elevator. Arianna looked over at John who gave her a sad smile. She shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist. Even though she tried to act tough, he could tell that Ted having a problem with their relationship was hurting her. He kissed her on the temple.

"Why don't we skip going out tonight and just stay in?" he asked. She looked at him and devilish smile from before returned.

"What did you have in mind?"


	9. Chapter 9

John and Arianna went back up to her hotel room and sat down on the couch. It had been a long night for them both. He could tell that she was still a little bothered by her brother's reaction to their relationship. He was hoping he could get her mind off of it. He moved closer to her and let her rest her head on his chest. She smiled against it and pulled back to look at him a little.

"Give him some time babe. He will come around." John said rubbing her back softly.

"I hope so. I mean you would think that he would be excited that I found a great guy who wasn't just interested in me because my last name is DiBiase." She sighed.

"Oh, is that what your last name is? I had no idea." He said in an attempt to make her smile. He was rewarded for his efforts with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight? I'm kind of glad we didn't go to the club. I would have had to beat the guys off of you."

"Nah, I only have eyes for one guy." She said as he leaned forward to kiss her. He scooped her up in his arms and pulled her into his lap, his hands sliding down her sides and resting on her hips. His lips moved down her neck and she moaned softly, causing him to smile against her skin. He had been dreaming about this for weeks. Telling her how he felt and then getting the chance to have him all to himself so that he could prove it. He stood up with her still in her arms and walked them over to the bed. He giggled as he sat her down and pulled his jacket off. She moved to the end of the bed and waited for him to make his way back over to her. He joined her on the bed, pulling them toward the top. Pretty soon, their clothes were on the floor and they were making love. After they were done, they lay there wrapped in each other's arms, her head resting on his chest. He ran his fingers down her back and kissed the top of her head.

"That was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced." She said kissing his chest.

"I don't believe anyone has ever told me that before." He said looking at her. "I think you're pretty amazing too." He said kissing her. They fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

The next morning, John woke up to the sound of his cell phone blasting. He rolled over and picked it up seeing that it was Randy.

"Hello?" he asked getting out of bed and walking into the bathroom so that he wouldn't wake Arianna.

"Where are you?" he asked. We were supposed to meet to work out two hours ago. I take it things went well with Ari?"

"Yeah, things are excellent. Except for the fact that Ted caught us kissing when the elevator door opened and completely flipped. She's a little upset about the whole thing."

"Well damn man. I've already worked out today and it sounds like you got quite a workout yourself last night so why don't you and Ari meet me for breakfast. Sam and Alanna will be in later."

"Sure. Just let me wake Ari up and we will meet you in 30." John hung the phone up and walked back over to the bed and looked at Arianna sleeping. She looked so peaceful. He kissed her on the cheek and she stirred and turned to look at him. "Good Morning." He smiled at her.

"Good Morning yourself." She said kissing him.

"Randy asked if we wanted to meet him for breakfast. He said Sam and Alanna will be in a little later."

"That sounds great. I haven't seen Sam since the last time she came to visit. Just let me grab a shower and get dressed." She said getting up and walking to the bathroom. He took a moment to compose himself. He seemed to suddenly lose his ability to speak as he saw her walk into the bathroom naked. He pulled his clothes on and poked his head in the bathroom door. She sat on the edge of the tub with a towel wrapped around her. She looked up and smiled at him.

"I will be back in 10. I'm going to go back to my room and shower and change." She nodded and stood letting the towel drop to the floor. "I uh…..won't be long."

"Alright. I will see you when you get back." He walked him and gave her a kiss and then headed to his room. She sighed to herself and jumped in the shower letting the water wash over her. Telling John she had feelings for him had been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she and John were together and had spent an amazing night together. A curse because now her brother wouldn't talk to her at all. The water felt good and it managed to wash away the worries for the moment. She stepped out and got dressed. She had just finished getting dressed in jeans and a button up shirt when there was a knock at the door.

"That was more than 10 minutes." She said opening the door. She swallowed hard as she looked at the person standing at the door in front of her. "Daddy…"


	10. Chapter 10

"Wh..what are you doing here?" she asked as she moved out of the way to let him into the room. She shut the door behind him and walked across the room so she was near the couch. She cast a sideways glance at the bed and wondered if her father would know that she and John had made love.

"Your brother called me." He said. He could tell that she was a little nervous with him being there. "Ari what has been going on?"

"John and I got stuck in the elevator a few weeks ago. At the time we couldn't stand each other. We got in this huge fight and we learned a lot about ourselves and each other because of it. We decided to be friends. We've been hanging out the last few weeks and ….I love him Daddy."

Ted Sr. looked at his daughter and sighed. He could see it in her eyes that she was telling the truth. He knew Ted Jr. was not equipped to deal with the fact that his little sister was also a beautiful woman with a mind of her own. He stepped forward and hugged his daughter who was on the verge of tears.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy." He said kissing her on the head. Just then there was a knock on the door. He let her go and watched as she opened the door. John stood there in front of her with flowers in his hand. He spotted her father and the color drained out of his face. Ted Sr. smiled as John walked into the room. "John, nice to see you again."

"You too sir. I just came by to…"

"He knows John. It's ok." John looked from Arianna to her father and seemed to relax a little.

"Just do me a favor and treat her right and promise me that you will never put your hands on her like that last asshole did." Arianna's face turned white at her father's words. She hadn't told any of the men in her family. "I know all about it and before you ask, just know that I have my ways. Now, I am going to go talk to your brother and see if we can't get this all patched up before Kristen's birthday party this weekend. Of course John you're invited to come." John looked at Arianna who simply shrugged, still in shock from the revelation that her father knew Josh had hit her.

"Thank you sir. We will be there." Ted Sr. hugged Arianna and kissed her on the head before shaking John's hand and walking out of the room. John turned to look at her. She was still in a state of shock. How could her father have known? She had been so careful to keep this from him and her brothers.

"So this Josh guy hit you?" She nodded.

"We had this huge fight because I caught him with this girl that was supposed to be my friend. He told me I was being stupid and I told him that if he could keep it in his pants, we wouldn't have a problem. He backhanded me. I left that day and haven't spoken to him since." She said as tears came to her eyes at the memory. He hugged her and kissed her on top of the head.

"I promise you baby… nobody will ever hurt you again." She looked up at him and smiled. She couldn't what he'd just said. He had promised to protect her. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed Randy's number.

"Hello?" Randy said a little out of breath.

"Hey man, I was just calling to let you know that Ari and I are gunna take a rain check on breakfast. Wait. Why are you out of breath?"

"I uh…..Sam came in a little early. Allie wasn't feeling so well so she left her with my mom."

"Enough said and next time you're having sex DON'T ANSWER YOUR PHONE. Dinner. 730. Meet you in lobby. Bye." He hung his phone up and looked at Arianna who had made her way back over to the bed. He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her. "What are you doing?"

"Maybe Randy's phone call gave me a few ideas." She smirked as he walked back over and kissed her. Things quickly got heated and soon they were making love.

John had never felt so complete. He could see himself being with Ari for the rest of his life and the thought both excited and scared him. He had given his heart away once only to have it stomped on. Could he really do it again? He looked at Arianna as she lay sleeping. The answer came to him as quickly as the question. He already had. Arianna had his heart.


	11. Chapter 11

Teddy walked down the hallway toward his sister's room. He didn't like the fact that his baby sister was a grown woman. And she could certainly do a lot worse than John. Like the piece of shit that she used to date. Perhaps her relationship with Josh was the whole reason that he was so over protective of her to begin with. But he knew John and John would never do anything to hurt her. When he loved, he loved with his whole heart. He knocked on the door and waited while he heard shuffling inside. Ari opened the door and looked at him obviously expecting a confrontation.

"I didn't come to fight. Dad talked to me and helped me realize that I was being stupid. It's just…you're my little sister and I'm supposed to protect you. I have been since we were kids and its not the easiest thing in the world to turn off." She smiled at her brother and gave him a hug. "Just do me a favor and tell Cena to take care of you or I will kick his ass." She chuckled.

"I will tell him. Now what did you get my fabulous sister in law for her birthday." Teddy's face went white. He had been so wrapped up in sulking about his sister's relationship with John that he had forgotten to shop for his wife's birthday. Arianna laughed. "You so totally forgot. What's that? Two years in a row? Lucky for you, I came through for you and got you an amazing present to give to her and an amazing present from her favorite sister in law." She went inside her room and rummaged through her bag handing Ted a small box. He opened it up and saw a diamond tennis bracelet inside. He looked up at his sister who smiled at him.

"Thanks for bailing me out."

"What are sisters for? Now if you will excuse me, I have a very hot man and his friend waiting to take me to dinner. I have to finish getting ready to go." Teddy smiled at her and walked away. She shut the door and headed back in to do her hair. Her cell phone rang and she walked over answering it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Nobody said anything so she just hung up the phone. She went back to doing her hair and her phone rang again. "Hello?" Still there was no answer just heavy breathing. She looked at the caller ID and dropped the phone. He couldn't be doing this to her again. She had gotten a restraining order and changed apartments. She had gone on the road with her brother to get away from him and now he had found her again. She knew she would have to tell John the truth. How Josh hadn't taken their break up very well. How he had continued to call her and show up at work. She was actually afraid of him. But she thought that all of that had was behind her. She thought that she was free of it. There was a knock on the door and she jumped a little looking out the peephole before she answered it. She saw it was John and opened the door wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life.

"Ari baby what's the matter?" Just as he asked the question, her cell phone rang again. She looked in its general direction and looked afraid. He picked it up.

"Hello?" There was no answer just heavy breathing on the other end of the phone. "Listen, you need to tell me who you are calling my girlfriend's phone." John demanded

"Tell Ari I will see her real soon." Was the only response before the line went dead. John looked over at Arianna who was now trembling.

"Whoever that was told me to tell you that they would see you real soon. Who was that Ari?"

"Josh. He's stalking me again."


	12. Chapter 12

Kristen's birthday Party

Arianna and John pulled up in front of her brother's house smiling. Arianna was excited to see her sister in law who was by now what seemed like a million months pregnant with her little nephew. She was excited. Her first chance to be an aunt. She saw Brett and his wife Claire sitting outside with her brother Mike the eternal bachelor. She hopped out of the car and smiled running up and engulfing Brett in a hug before breaking away and hugging Claire and Mike. John smiled as he saw his girlfriend and the way she interacted with her family. She turned her attention back to John when she noticed that he was lingering by the car. She walked over and grabbed his hand pulling him up to where everyone else was standing.

"Brett, Claire, Mike…..this is John my boyfriend." She beamed. Her brothers looked a little shocked for a moment and Claire was smiling at the sight of Arianna finally bringing another guy home.

"Just so you know, if you hurt our sister, we will beat the shit out of you." Brett said. Mike only nodded his head in agreement.

"I have no intention of hurting your sister." John said wrapping his arms around Arianna's waist. Claire grabbed Brett's hand and led him toward the house once she saw Ted come out of the house and head toward the grill. He looked up and saw Arianna and John and waved them over.

"Hey sis. John. You better get in there. Kristen is driving me crazy asking when you were getting here. You can leave John out here with me. I promise I won't hurt him."

"He better be in one piece when I get back." She laughed before kissing John on the cheek and heading inside. She saw Kristen sitting on the couch happily rubbing her belly. "You look beautiful. Pregnancy agrees with you."

"You are too sweet but I feel like a beached whale." Kristen said as she hugged Arianna and made room for her on the couch. "So you and John huh?"

Arianna couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"I never planned on it but it just sort of happened. He was not at all what I thought he was."

"I'm glad you finally took a chance on someone. I know it couldn't have been easy after….." Kristen's voice trailed off as Arianna's phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She opened it and looked at the text message in horror. "Honey what is it?"

I thought I made it clear the last time I talked to him that I wanted nothing to do with him." She showed the text message to Kristen.

**Have fun with your boyfriend while it lasts.**

"You have to tell someone. Has he made any other contact?"

"He called my phone a few days ago. Why would Josh do this to me? How does he even know about John?"

"I don't know sweetie. I don't know."

Soon the text message was forgotten as the party was in full swing. Everyone was laughing and having a great time. Arianna yawned and John leaned in and placed a kiss right under her ear.

"How about we head back to the hotel and soak in the hot tub?" She smiled and nodded her head in agreement. They said their goodbyes and headed out to the car. It was a pleasantly warm night outside. John grabbed her hand when they were half way down the walk way and pulled her back to him and kissed her gently. She smiled into his kiss and returned it. She had never been so happy in her entire life. They got in the car and began driving toward the hotel. John looked over and smiled at her. Rain drizzled around them and John turned on the wiper blades and the defrost as the fog began to surround them. Arianna smiled outwardly but something didn't feel right. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She looked over at John and they barely had time to react as the car behind them slammed into them turning them sideways on the bridge. Instead of hitting the brakes, the car seemed to accelerate. The back of John's car came up off the ground. The car skidded a few more feet before it flipped upside down. The car that hit them sped past into the rainy night. John looked over at Arianna and noticed she was unconscious. Blood poured out of the gash above his eye and but he didn't care. He fished around for his cell phone and called for help. Then he called Ted.

"Hold on Ari, help is on the way." He said holding her hand. He had been took focused on her to hear the sound of tires speeding back toward them. He didn't even realize the car was coming back at them until he saw the headlights. John wrapped himself around Arianna's body and braced them both for impact. The sound of metal hitting metal and glass shattering rang in his ears. He looked at Arianna, still unconscious in his arms and swallowed hard. He tried to breath but every breathe was more haggard than the last and was more painful. His chest burned and his ribs were on fire. He held on to her, silently willing her to hold on. Whispering assurance that help was on the way. When he heard the faint sound of sirens, everything went black.

A/N: This story is dedicated to Hailey Egan. I hope you continue to enjoy it. I appreciate everyone who has read, alerted, and reviewed this story. Also, I wanted to say that if you guys like scifi, you need to check out the stories of the amazingly talented xXUnstable OnexX. He has a whole SCIFI/Horror thing going on and two of the best stories I have read in the genres in a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

John groaned and opened his eyes, squinting in the bright light. It took him a moment to realize he was in the hospital and then it all came flooding back. He shot up in the bed and his head began to spin. He held his hand to his head and fought to get the covers off. He didn't care about his own pain, he just wanted to get to Arianna. He wanted to make sure that she was alright. He had just about gotten the hang of his IV pole when Randy and Ted walked into the room.

"Whoa there buddy. You need to get back into bed. You have 6 broken ribs, 8 stitches above your right eye, a broken wrist and bruises." Randy said walking John back over to the bed.

"How's Ari?" John asked. Neither of them spoke for a moment and John got the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. His eyes shifted from Ted to Randy before the door opened again.

"Why don't you ask me yourself?" she said walking in with her arm in a sling. John breathed a sigh of relief as she came into his sight. Her face was bruised and she had minor cuts and scrapes.

"These two didn't say anything and I was a little worried." He said. She smiled as she walked over and kissed him.

"Ewww, that's my cue to leave." Ted laughed. He and Randy walked toward the door. He stopped and looked back at the two as they sat there and held on to each other. He didn't know how but he had to tell John how much he appreciated him saving his sister's life. Randy clapped his hand on Ted's back and nodded for him to let them have their moment. There was so much more that they had to talk about.

"You know you saved my life?" she asked sitting next to him on the bed. "Why did you wrap yourself around me?" He reached up and softly touched her face.

"I told you nobody would ever hurt you again." She leaned in and kissed him. "So how bad are your injuries?"

"Well, I have a separated shoulder and a broken index finger. A few bumps and bruises but the baby and I are fine."

"That's great….wait what?"

"Congratulations. You're about to be a daddy."

"But how….."

"You remember that night that we went to the club and we both got a little tipsy and the next morning we woke up and swore that it would be our little secret?" He looked at her smiling at the memory. "Well, it won't be a secret much longer." She grabbed his hand and looked at him. "Thank you. Not only for saving my life but for saving our baby's life too."

"I told you…..nobody would ever hurt you again." He kissed her. "Any idea who hit us?" She nodded her head and settled as best she could against his chest. She sat there quietly for a moment. "It was Josh wasn't it?"

"He was trying to kill us. He admitted it to the cops. They have him in a mental hospital for evaluation." She looked over at him and saw that he was sleeping. She settled in as best she could and fell asleep too.

Ted and Randy sat in the cafeteria. They decided to get something to eat and then Ted was going to stay in Arianna's room and Randy was going to stay in John's.

"I wonder if she told him about the baby." Ted asked

"Knowing your sister, she just slipped it into conversation." Randy laughed. There was some commotion out in the hallway and then a police officer came running in. Randy and Ted both jumped up from their seats and looked at the officer.

"Josh escaped police custody."


	14. Chapter 14

Randy and Ted rushed out of the cafeteria and headed in the direction of John's room. Ted's heart was beating out of his chest. He was so scared for his sister. He had always had a bad feeling about Josh but he tried his best to stay out of it. He didn't want to seem pushy. Now he wished he had. The lights went out and they stopped in their tracks. This could not be good.

_*********FLASHBACK***********_

_Arianna was sitting at the bar dressed in a strapless silver dress with red heels. She had already had a whole pitcher of margauritas and had just ordered herself a shot of tequila. She was sure she was going to feel it in the morning but she was drinking to forget the whole train wreck of a relationship she had just gotten herself out of. She looked around and saw the bar was filled with her brother's friends and she smiled to herself that she had made the decision to visit him on the road. He walked up to her with his wife Kristen on his arm. _

"_Damn Ari, you sure are in a party mood tonight." He said obviously feeling a little buzz himself. She giggled as her sister in law rolled her eyes and smiled a little. _

"_So are you big brother. I am so glad I decided to come visit you." She turned a little on the stool and felt a little dizzy. "Whoa. I feel a little dizzy. I think maybe I have had enough. I'm going to head back to the hotel." Ted looked at her a little concerned and sat his beer down on the end of the bar._

"_Do you want me to go back with you?" he asked. She shook her head._

"_You guys stay here. This is a celebration of you finding out that you guys are having a boy. Don't leave your own party on account of me. I can make it back." She got off the stool and stumbled a little only to have a pair of strong arms catch her before she could fall to the floor. She looked up into the face of John Cena. Maybe it was the alcohol but she had never noticed how blue his eyes were before. He smiled a little at her and she could see his dimples._

"_Come on, let's get you back to the hotel." He said. She just nodded her head a little and they headed outside. He hailed a cab and they got in and rode to the hotel. He stole a glance at her as she rode with her head pressed up against the window relishing the coolness of the glass on her skin. She was so beautiful he thought to himself. But she was probably like all the other girls he had dated. He wasn't going to go there again. They pulled up in front of the hotel and he helped her to her room. He turned to go but she put her hand on his arm and he turned to look at her._

_She gave him a soft kiss and pulled away. He knew they were both a little drunk and that he should probably stop himself but he couldn't help it. He hadn't been with anyone since his break up with Liz. He leaned in and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, backing him against the door. His hands ran up her back and settled in her hair. She pulled back and smiled biting her lip. Damn, she was sexy when she did that. She grabbed his hand and led him over to the bed. He raised his eyebrows at her as she unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. This was not a good idea. They were drunk and Ted was one of his best friends but he just couldn't stop himself. _

_He pushed her back and smiled to himself when she giggled. She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him crawl toward her. Somehow, his clothes hit the floor. They spent the next few minutes kissing, hands all over each other. She was driving him crazy. She straddled him and he groaned making her smile. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him flipping them over. They spent the next few hours making love before they both fell asleep._

_The next morning he woke up and she was propped up on the headboard looking at him. He blinked a couple of times before he realized where he was. She looked at him and her head went to her head. _

"_Morning. " she whispered._

"_Morning." He said back. _

"_So about last night….." she started. He sat up a little and looked at her. She was worried that he was going to tell someone. She was worried about her damn image._

"_Don't give last night another thought princess….." he said almost emotionless. "It will be our little secret." He said standing up to get dressed._

"_John, I…." He turned to look at her as he pulled his t shirt over his head._

"_No need to explain. I realize that people finding out about this will be mess up your whole image. I mean….I don't fit into your plan. It's fine. I won't tell a soul. In fact, we won't ever talk about this or anything else ever again." He grabbed his jacket and walked out the door letting it slam behind him._

John opened his eyes a little as he heard the door to the room open up. The pain medication they had him on was still working a little too well and he was a little groggy. He was however full awakened when he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. He put his hand to his ribs and felt something wet. He pulled his hand up to look at it and saw blood. He looked up at the figure standing over his bed and knew it must have been Josh. He came up and punched at the figure connecting with his face before he grabbed Arianna around the waist and pushed her behind him. He turned he bed over and left her behind it. He clutched his ribs as the figure swung the knife his way again. He swatted it away with his hands and came forward with his head. He felt a little dizzy and the guy fell to the floor. John kicked him in the ribs and was about to continue stomping when the room swirled around him and he passed out.

Josh took this as his chance to get to Arianna who by now was fully aware of what was going on. She shrunk as far as she could get behind the bed and grabbed the first thing she could find to help defend herself. He advanced toward her and she could see the moonlight reflect off the knife. She held the object in her hand and swung it. It connected with his face and he fell to the ground. She managed to get past him and ran to check on John. There was blood pouring from the wound on his side. The door swung open and she looked up into her brother's worry filled face. Randy ran over and knealt beside John. He looked at Ted and told him to go get a nurse.

Arianna stood there, tears in her eyes looking down at John. She saw him move a little and breathed a little easier. Randy walked over to her as the nurse came in and she and Ted helped John to his feet. He was going to be okay after a few stitches. She hugged Randy.

"What did you knock him out with?" She smiled and pointed at the metallic item that was resting by the end of the bed where Josh was still laying unconscious. Randy busted out laughing. "You hit him with a bed pan?"


	15. Chapter 15

A few weeks later…..

Arianna sat in the kitchen of her house doing some work on her lap top. Her firm had allowed her to John had healed up enough to go back on the road but wasn't cleared to wrestle yet. He called her every night to check on her and see how the baby was. She laughed to herself. Three months ago she hated the sight of this man and now she was so much in love with him and they were expecting a baby. Her hand rested on her stomach and she couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. She had always wanted to be a mother. She just hadn't expected it to be John that made that possible. Her cell phone rang and she answered it without looking.

"Hello?"

"How is the most beautiful woman in the world today?" John said causing Teddy's eyes to roll. If he had to put up with much more of this then he was going to die of insulin shock. They were that sugary sweet.

"Are you trying to test my gag reflex?" Teddy asked loud enough for Arianna to hear.

"I'm fine. How are you?" she laughed into the phone.

"Good. Teddy and I are just hanging out. We wanted to call and say hi and tell you we love you." John smiled causing Teddy to shake his head. He was still not used to Cena dating his sister.

"I love you both too." John looked over at Ted as they rode through the streets toward her house. In the last week that he had been traveling on the road again, he had managed to get her brothers and father's permission and was able to find the right ring. He was going to ask her to marry him.

They pulled up in front of her house and John walked up still listening to her talk. He knocked on the door and waited for her to answer. He had it all planned out in his head. He was going to invite her whole family out to dinner. Then he was going to give her the ring after dessert came.

She opened the door and smiled when she saw him, jumping into his arms and letting her phone fall to the ground.

"You didn't tell me that you guys were in town." She said pulling away from him.

"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise would it? I was thinking, how about we go out to dinner. Me, you, Ted, Kristen, your mom and dad, Mike, Brett and Claire. Randy and Sam. And of course Ted the third. Just to relax and forget about everything that has happened in the last few weeks."

She looked at him and nodded her head. "That sounds awesome. But right now….." she said kissing him and grabbing him by the hand and leading him upstairs. He smiled at her knowing where this was going to lead. She pulled his shirt over his head and softly ran her fingers over the scar on his side where Josh had stabbed him. They had fought so hard to be together and things were finally looking up. She kissed him again and he picked her up and carried her over to the bed. Before too long they were making love.

A few hours later…

John sat in the living room waiting for Ari to finish getting ready. They were going to meet everyone at the restaurant. He'd been waiting on her for the last 45 minutes. He walked over to the couch and sat down grabbing the remote and flipping on the t v.

Arianna stood in front of the mirror and looked herself over. Her rounding belly was barely visible through the black dress she was wearing but she could tell it was there. She smoothed the fabric down and grabbed her purse and slid her shoes on heading down the stairs. John kissed her on the cheek when she got to the bottom and helped her get into her coat before they headed out.

They arrived at the restaurant and headed to the backroom that John had rented out for all of them. He planned everything out and even gotten Kristen and Claire to help. They laughed and joked with everyone throughout dinner and before long it was time for dessert. John could feel the butterflies growing in his stomach. He had never been more nervous in his life. What if she said no? He shook the thoughts out of his head as the plates of cheesecake were taken away. It was time. Music played softly in the background and he got up and offered his hand to Arianna so they could dance. She smiled and accepted his hand. He pulled her to him and held her close.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked.

"About a million times. But I love to hear it." She said giggling.

"You look beautiful. So I was thinking the other day and I think we should get married before the baby comes." She stopped dancing and looked at him like he was crazy. He smiled at her and got down on his knee, taking her hand and pulling the ring out of his pocket.

"I'm serious. I want you to be my wife." She smiled and nodded her head in response. He got up and slid the ring on her finger and kissed her amid the applause of her family.

In the back of the dimly lit restaurant, she sat at the table and looked at the happy scene in front of her. It made her sick. That was supposed to be her life. She was supposed to be the one that was pregnant with his child and engaged to him. She was supposed to be his wife. She knew she had to do something. Ever since she saw the headline about that whackadoo trying to kill them. Soon she assured herself. Soon, she would be the one married to him and Arianna would be just a memory. Of course, she would have to find a way to take care of the baby too. She got up and walked out of the restaurant. Randy looked toward the exit and thought he caught a glimpse of a ghost from John's past. A ghost that should have stayed dead.


	16. Chapter 16

The next few months were a flurry of activity. Arianna was working from home and was starting to show a little. They had agreed that they wanted to get married before the baby was born. So Arianna had busy planning the wedding of a lifetime. It was just a few days away. He smiled at the thought. She was going to be his wife.

His cell phone rang bringing him out of his thoughts. He thought he was hallucinating at first when he saw the number but the shrill ring of the phone told him otherwise. He sighed to himself wondering what she could want after all this time.

"What?" he said not caring that it sounded a little cold hearted. He had intended it to sound that way. She'd put him through hell and trashed his place and now the bitch had come crawling back. But she was a little too late.

"Now Johnny, is that anyway to talk to me?"

"Whatever it is you're peddling this time Liz, I am not buying it. I have moved on with my life. So whoever you were dating that dumped you on your ass, you go ahead and find yourself another sugar daddy. I'm done."

"It's nothing like that. I heard about your engagement and the baby and wanted to meet to congratulate you. I have some news of my own. How about we do lunch?"

"How about you go to hell? I have nothing to say to you." He hung the phone up and threw it on the bed. Why had she come back into his life after all this time? He didn't really care he just found it odd. He looked up when he heard the door open and smiled as Arianna came walking in laughing with Ted and Kristen.

"Hey baby, how did shopping go?" he said kissing her on the forehead.

"Good. Although my brother has lost his mind. He insists on giving you a bachelor party."

John wasn't too keen on the idea. The last bachelor party that he'd been to was Randy's and that hadn't ended up so well for him. He'd done something that he'd ended up regretting.

"Oh come on. Please. It's going to be your last night as a single man. You have to get all of the wildness out of your system. Because if you ever cheat on my sister, I will cut your balls off." Kristen elbowed him in the stomach causing him to pout like a big baby.

"I am going to leave that decision up to you. If you want to have one, then go right ahead. I look like the goodyear blimp and I think that the girls have decided to just get together and watch chick flicks and eat popcorn until we puke." Arianna said. John looked at her.

"I think you look beautiful." He said kissing her.

"Eww, gross. I have to get out of here because if I don't I am seriously going to throw up." Ted joked causing a look from his wife. He threw his hands up in defense and sighed. He hugged his sister and looked at John. "Just think about it okay?" John nodded his head and Ted and Kristen left.

He and Arianna spent the rest of the night just hanging out and watching t v. The fell asleep on the couch. He woke up around one to his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the text message, anger boiling up inside of him.

**You will meet with me John or your little secret will come to light. See you soon.**

He sighed and looked at the phone again before sending a message back to her. As much as it pained him, he agreed to meet her. He had to. He had to make sure that no one else ever found out the truth. It was one stupid mistake. A drunken stupid mistake. But if that mistake ever came to light, the people it would hurt would be much worse than spending an afternoon with Liz.

He looked over at Arianna. He wasn't going to tell her that he was meeting Liz. It would just be another stressful thing for her to deal with. She didn't need anymore stress in her life right now. He would meet with Liz and get it over with and then never have to see her again.

Liz sat there satisfied with herself. She was going to meet with him and force his hand. He would either leave that pathetic, pregnant sad sack he was engaged to and give her life she deserved or she would expose his little secret. And if she did that, he would lose not only his beloved Arianna but also his best friend.


	17. Chapter 17

John sat in the restaurant and nervously tapped the ends of his fingers against the table. He had agreed to meet with Liz if for no other reason than to see what she thought she had on him. But he didn't like being here and he didn't like that he hadn't told Arianna that he was coming. They were getting married tomorrow and he should have been helping with the last minute preparations.

She walked in and spotted him sitting at the table by himself. She walked over and sat down at the table with him and smiled. He rolled his eyes, showing his annoyance. That was going to make this so much sweeter.

"Thanks for meeting me Johnny."

"Yeah whatever. So what did you want to talk about?" he said coldly. He never had been one to beat around the bush about things. Something that she both loved and hated about him.

"Us." She said simply. He looked her a little confused. There hadn't been an us between them in almost two years.

"Maybe you didn't get the memo but we broke up. You trashed my house remember?" he said. He got up to leave and she put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"It's true that there hasn't been an us in a little while. But there will be an us again."

"I am getting married tomorrow and we're having a baby. So why would I leave her to go back to you? You really do need to get help. You're delusional." He walked toward the door and she turned around in the booth to look back at him.

"I think that you will leave her and come back to me unless you want me to tell Randy about you having sex with Sam the night of his bachelor party." He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "Did you think that I honestly didn't know? Oh that's so cute. But not only did I know, I have the pictures to prove it." He stood there at the door and looked at her for a moment before looking away. He hadn't remembered much about Randy's bachelor party. Sam worried that parties the day before the wedding would cause everyone to show up late and hung over. They'd agreed to have it a month before the actual ceremony. The girls in one suite and the guys in the other with an adjoining door in the middle. He'd had way too much to drink and when he woke up the next morning, he was in bed with the bride to be. He'd instantly felt horrible. They agreed never to tell Randy and act like nothing had happened. He'd carried that guilt around for almost four years now.

"Now you listen to me, you aren't going to show up to that wedding tomorrow. If you do and you marry her, I will mail these pictures to Randy. I will leave the decision up to you." She kissed his cheek and walked out of the restaurant. He sighed to himself. He knew what he had to do.

Arianna was standing there looking at herself in the mirror. She felt a little awkward with her pregnant belly showing in her wedding dress but she loved John and she was excited that they were getting married.

"You look beautiful." She turned around and smiled at Sam and Randy.

"I feel sorta like a beached whale but, thanks." She smiled back.

"John is a lucky man. I really think you're good for him." Randy said hugging her. Just as he leaned over and hugged her, he felt the baby kick. He smiled at her.

"She likes you." Arianna said putting a hand on her belly.

"She?"

"Yeah, I found out a few days ago that we're having a girl. I haven't had a chance to tell John yet."

"Well, let's not worry about that now. Let me help you get out of this dress and we can hang out and relax." Sam said pushing Randy out of the room.

Arianna smiled and nodded at the suggestion. She needed to relax. She had an uneasy feeling in her stomach and she was almost sure that it was more than just pre wedding jitters. Something wasn't right and she couldn't put her finger on what it was.


	18. Chapter 18

Arianna woke up early the next morning and smiled as she caught the sun shining through the curtain. She and John were getting married today and nothing else in the world mattered. But something still didn't feel right. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. It had been bothering her since the day before. She knew if she told Sam and the girls that they would tell her it was pre wedding jitters. They would tell her that they all felt the same way. Nervous. Anxious. Like something was going to go horribly wrong.

"Good morning Mrs. Cena." She turned around and smiled at Sam. Her sister in laws Claire and Kristen came walking into the room.

"Are you excited?" Arianna smiled at them. She was excited but she still couldn't shake the flutters in her stomach.

"I guess we need to get ready. Randy said that he'd make sure all the guys were at the church."

Randy woke up and looked around the house. Today was the day. The day his best friend was getting married. He woke everyone up and had them meet him downstairs in the kitchen so he could fix breakfast. Ted, Mike and Brett all walked downstairs clamoring for coffee. Randy looked around and noticed that the groom to be was not with them.

"Hey Cena, hurry your ass up. You know if you don't get down here, Ted will eat everything and there will be nothing left for you." He laughed. He waited for a few minutes and when he still didn't get a response, he walked up stairs to John's room. He knocked on the door and opened it. The bed hadn't been slept in and nothing else was out of place. John's bag was gone. There was no note or anything. He couldn't believe it. He walked back downstairs clinging to the hope that maybe John was just out for a walk. Maybe he just needed a break to clear his mind before all the wedding craziness started later that afternoon. He walked back to the others and smiled at them as they kept eating. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach though and deep down he knew that John had skipped out.

John looked around the crowded airport. He sighed to himself. He felt like everything he stood for was a lie. But he also felt like he didn't have a choice. He couldn't let Randy find out about what he'd done with Sam. They'd been friends for so long. They were like brothers. And the pictures that Liz had of his one drunken mistake could bring all that to an end. And then there was Arianna. He hated leaving her and their child. He felt like the biggest piece of shit in the world. A coward. He looked up when he heard his flight called and walked toward the gate. He needed time away to clear his head. To get away from it all.

He looked out the window and let himself get lost in the clouds. Soon he would be away from everything and everyone. He would be able to think things through and decide what he wanted to do from there. Could he really marry the woman he loved and build a life with her at the risk of losing his best friend? He hated Liz for putting him in this situation. Part of him wished that he and Sam had just told Randy the truth from the beginning. He would have been hurt but Randy was a pretty reasonable guy. He would have forgiven them both eventually. Right? He put the headphones to his ipod in and let the music block out every other thought from his head. Soon, he would be at a place where he could think things through and be at peace for a little while until he could figure out what to do about his currently fucked up reality.

Liz smiled to herself and tucked the envelope of pictures into her purse. She checked her lip gloss and fixed her hair a little. This was one wedding she wouldn't have missed for the world. Either John would go through with it and marry that poor pathetic pregnant girl or he'd be smart and leave her and come back where he belonged. Right beside her.

Everyone was gathered at the church. Randy had called John a million times it seemed but still gotten no answer. He hoped that nothing was wrong. That he was just having cold feet and that he'd come rushing into the church at the last minute ready to marry Arianna. They belonged together. Sam came walking into the room and noticed that John wasn't there.

"Isn't there someone missing?" she said looking around and noticing that John wasn't there. Randy grabbed her by her arm and pulled her to the side.

"He wasn't at the house this morning. I've tried calling him several times and he isn't answering his phone. I think he bailed." Sam's face went ashen and she looked over the congregation that was gathered on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her friend's life. Arianna was going to be devastated.

"Do we know for sure he bailed?" Randy shook his head no. Sam sighed. "Make some calls and see what you can figure out. I'm going to go tell Arianna." She walked back to the bride's room not really wanting to deliver the news she'd been given.

Arianna stood there in her gown, her makeup and hair beautifully done. She was positively glowing. Sam closed her eyes and sighed. She was angry at John for bailing on her. He didn't leave a note or tell anyone where he was going.

"Can I speak to Ari for a sec?" she said. Everyone nodded and left the room except Kristen who had caught the tone of Sam's voice. One filled with regret. Arianna looked over at her and knew that she wasn't going to like what she was about to say. She sat down on the couch with Kristen sitting next to her. Both of them looked at Sam as she was pacing back and forth.

"Ari, um…I went to see how the guys were doing and John….he wasn't there. Randy said he's tried calling him but he hasn't been able to reach him. Nobody knows where he is."

Arianna closed her eyes and tears streamed silently down her face. He'd changed his mind on what was supposed to be the most important day of their lives. The color seemed to drain out of her and the room started to spin. She fell forward, the room still spinning. She could hear Sam and Kristen yelling for help around her and then, blackness.


	19. Chapter 19

Arianna's friends and family waited in the emergency room. Ted Sr. was comforting his wife who was worried sick about the well being of her daughter and granddaughter. Ted Jr., Brett, Mike and Randy were all a mix of emotions. Anger being the most prevalent of them all.

Randy couldn't believe that John had bailed like he had and that Arianna was now in the hospital room fighting for her life and the life of her baby. He decided to try and get a hold of John again. He walked outside and paced back and forth in front of the building leaving yet another voicemail. He had to try and figure out what caused him to leave and see if he could somehow get him to come back.

Ted Jr. walked down to the cafeteria to get himself and Kristen some coffee. Angry didn't even begin to cover what he was feeling. This is what he had been trying to prevent all along. He had no idea what caused John to bail and at the moment he didn't care. All he wanted to do was beat some sense into him and then tell him not to come near his sister or her daughter again. Poor Ari had put her heart out there again only to have it squashed into a million pieces.

Samantha caught the bleached blonde hair out of the corner of her eye and decided to follow her. She was sure that this super bitch had done or said something to John to make him leave. But how could he have been so stupid to fall for her tricks again. She stopped when she noticed that she was on the phone.

"Johnny, you did the right thing by not showing up but I still need to know where the hell you are. This was not part of the deal and those pictures will be sent to Randy. It's too late to beg me not to. You brought this one yourself. Now neither you or Sam will have Randy." Liz barely had time to close her phone when something slammed into the back of her. She was pulled around to face her assailant by her hair and noticed it was Sam. Sam punched her a few times in the face before Liz rolled over and delivered a blow of her own to Sam's jaw.

"You stupid bitch! You bribed John into leaving didn't you?" Sam yelled at her tackling the now standing Liz to the floor again. This time she slammed into the floor so hard that Liz's head started to bleed. "You put the life of my friend and her unborn baby in danger. You are such a vindictive whore." She said slamming her head into the floor. She was about to slam her head again when she felt a pair of arms grab her around the waist and pull her back. "LET ME GO!" she yelled. She looked back and saw Randy standing there.

Randy had heard the yelling from outside and came to see what was going on. What he saw both shocked and amused him. Sam was beating the hell out of Liz. He had to pull her off before security came and they both got kicked out. But what Sam had done to Liz was exactly what he wanted to do to John. Arianna was like a sister to him and she'd been hurt. Nothing else mattered. But seeing Liz laying on the floor led him to believe that she had something to do with John's sudden change of heart.

"Come on Sam, let's go outside." He said dragging his wife away. He pulled her outside and looked at her jaw. Fortunately, Liz hadn't been able to make direct contact with her face. "What was that all about? Not that you haven't been wanting to do that for a long time."

"I overheard a phone conversation. Well her side of it anyway. She blackmailed John. That's why he left."

"What could she possibly have on John?" Randy asked. She looked at him and he instantly knew what she was talking about. "The Bachelor party?"

Sam nodded. "I will find John and fix this okay?" she nodded again.

Hearing anyone mention it brought back the night that Sam had told him about it. But he hadn't been so innocent himself.

_There was a knock on the door. He wondered who it could be. He was a little shocked to see Sam. It was pouring down rain and it was nearly three in the morning._

"_Sam, what are you doing here?"_

"_I had to talk to you. This has been eating away at me for the last week. Something happened the night of the bachelor party." Randy looked at her a little shocked. He hadn't meant for her to find out and now he was a little angry with Candice for having told her. It was a drunken mistake. He loved Sam. They were getting married in a few weeks. He would forgive her if the situation was reversed._

"_Sam honey," he started but she cut him off._

"_No let me talk. I never meant for it to happen and neither did he. But we were all drunk and…the night of the bachelor party…..John and I….well I am sure you can put the pieces together. We woke up the next morning and we promised that we would never tell you but I couldn't marry you without telling you. I am so sorry Randy and I hope that you can forgive me." She said sitting on the couch sobbing. He looked at her and sighed. The thoughts that he'd had a few minutes before ran through his head. He would forgive her if the situation was reversed. He had to tell her the truth._

"_Sam, I uh….you weren't the only one who made a mistake that night. I did too. I woke up the next morning and Candice and I…..let's not rehash it okay? I made a mistake and you made a mistake. Let's just forget about it and move on." She nodded and kissed him._

He had never gotten a chance to talk to John about it. A few weeks later, he and Sam had gotten married and he had pushed the whole thing to the back of his mind. If the was what John had been so freaked out about, he would have to find him and knock some sense into him. He could forgive John for anything. But he wasn't so sure that the DiBiase family were going to be so forgiving.

John listened to his voicemail again. It was from Randy. 47 straight voice messages from Randy telling him to call and let him know where he was. That it was important. He came to the last message and his heart about jumped out of his chest.

"John, when you get this fucking message call me back. Arianna is in the hospital. She passed out after Sam told her the news. We don't know how she is or how the baby is doing right now. Call me the fuck back." He threw his phone on the couch and yelled openly in the hotel room. This place was supposed to bring him peace. To help him clear his head and figure out what to do. But all he had managed to do was break Arianna's heart and put his baby's life in danger. He went around the room gathering his things. He didn't care about Liz's threats anymore. He had to get to Arianna and the baby. He had to beg for forgiveness and hope that she would let him be in their baby's life. He looked at himself as he got into the bathroom, not really able to stand the sight of his own reflection.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have kept this secret for so long? How could he have left the only person he'd ever wanted to give his heart away too? His fist connected with the mirror and it shattered onto the marble sink. He didn't care. He'd pay for the damage. His cell phone rang again.

"Hello?" he said hoarsely.

"Where the fuck are you?"

"Hawaii."

"Stay there. I will be there in a few hours. We need to talk." With that Randy hung up the phone. He knew that this confrontation wouldn't be pleasant but he didn't care. He had never run from anything in his life other than this and he was tired of running. Tired of what this secret had done to him. He was going to confront this demon head on and bury it once and for all. No matter what the consequences.


	20. Chapter 20

Arianna stirred awake and shielded her eyes from the lights in the hospital room, her mind racing. She focused and realized where she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She wasn't at her wedding reception celebrating the fact that she and John had become man and wife. He'd ripped that dream away. She looked over to her right and saw her sister in law sitting there and reached out squeezing her hand. Kristen's eyes fluttered awake and she looked over at Arianna and smiled weakly.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?"

" How's my baby?" she asked.

"The baby is great. Nobody's heard from….."

"I didn't ask about him. I asked how my daughter was." Arianna snapped causing Kristen to pull her hand back and sit up in the chair. The door to the hospital room opened and Ted Jr. walked in and smiled at his sister.

"Hey, how's my little sis?" he said sitting down on the edge of the bed. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "The baby is fine. So are you. Lucky for you the bride's room had carpet."

"Yeah. So I didn't freak everyone out did I?" Ted looked at her and shook his head.

"Nobody's heard from…."

"Ted, honey would you do me a favor and go with me to call the babysitter and check on the baby?" He nodded his head and they walked out of the room. Arianna breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head back on the pillow allowing tears to fall down her face. She'd put her heart out there again and only gotten it stomped. She was hurting but that wasn't the major source of her pain. Her hand rested on her belly and she felt the tiny baby girl moving around in there. Her daughter would have to grow up without her father and knowing that hurt her worse than anything else.

"Don't worry baby. Mama is still here." He'd made his choice. He'd left them both without so much as an explanation. So when he did finally decide to show his face again, she was determined to keep her guard up and never let him hurt them again. Never.

Kristen stood outside the door to the hospital room with Ted, a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong Kris?"

"I was trying to tell her that no one had heard from John and her demeanor changed. She looked at me with the coldest eyes I had ever seen. Colder than Randy's. She told me that she didn't ask about him. She asked about her daughter. I am really worried. I have never seen her full of so much anger."

"She gave him her heart and he crushed it. She's turned off her emotions. All I can say for him when he does come back is that John Cena is a dead man."

Randy sat on the plane and shook his head. John really could be a dumbass sometimes. He'd taken the cowards way out and this trip to Hawaii to get him wouldn't come without a much needed beating. It was going to take some major ass kissing for him to get anywhere near his daughter and he was almost sure that Arianna would never forgive him for just leaving.

John paced back and forth. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have let that bitch get in his head again? He lost his faith in everyone. He'd lost his faith in his friendship with Randy, his love for Arianna and he'd hurt everyone in the process. He knew he had a long road back to overcome the obstacles he'd created for himself. But he was determined to get his life back. He would be happy with Arianna and their baby. Even if it took him years to do it. A million thoughts ran through his head. There was a knock at the door and he opened it only to be punched in the face.

"You are a fucking asshole you know that?" came the voice from the other side of the door. "I have to fly halfway across the damn world to find your stupid ass because some whore is blackmailing you with shit I already knew about? You leave the woman who is pregnant with your daughter at the altar without so much as a kiss my ass? I ought to punch you again. You know what, I think I will." Randy punched John in the jaw again and John fell to the floor.

"Thanks. I needed that." John said holding his face.

"You deserve a hell of a lot more. Pack your shit. We got a plane to catch."

"Did you say I was having a daughter?" Randy nodded his head.

"If Ari ever lets you get near her again." John nodded slightly. "But, you won her over once, who's to say you can't do it again."

They headed to the airport and boarded the plane. John felt like he was heading to an execution rather than going home. In a way he was.


	21. Chapter 21

John and Randy drove toward the hospital and the uneasiness grew in the pit of John's stomach. He knew that whatever Ari and the rest of her family dished out, he deserved it and more. He'd promised all of them that he would never hurt her and he had. In the worst most publicly humiliating way possible.

"You know you're going to get the shit kicked out of you right?" John simply nodded his head. "But you would have been proud of Sam." John looked over at him more than a little confused. Randy chuckled and sighed.

"She beat the shit out of Liz." John looked at Randy and smiled a little. At least Sam was on his side. At least for the moment. They pulled into the parking lot and John sat in the car trying to calm his nerves. "You gotta go in and face them. Better do it now." John nodded again and got out of the car walking into the hospital.

They rode the elevator to the maternity ward and once the elevator dinged and opened, all eyes were on them. Ted was the first one to head over and without saying a word, he punched John in the nose. He fell to the ground and Ted kicked him a few times in the ribs before Kristen grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him back.

"You have a lot of fucking nerve showing up here." Ted spat. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't mop the fucking floor with your face?"

"I came to check on Ari and the baby."

"Really? Because you didn't give a damn about them when you ran off and left her at the altar without a word." Brett said from where he was sitting by Ari's door. "She's in here fighting to save the life of your baby because of you." John lowered his head and nodded.

"You promised us all John. You promised that you wouldn't her and you did." Ted said. "Don't even think that you are going to get in there to see her. I will kill you first."

"Don't you think that Ari should be the one to make that decision?" John said looking at Randy who was sitting next to Sam.

"Fine, go in there and ask her if she wants to see your sorry ass. But if she ends up crying while you're in there, you better watch your back." Ted said grabbing his coat and pushing past John. He couldn't even stand the sight of him. John walked forward and knocked on the door to Ari's room. She softly said come in and he opened the door. She was laying on the bed with her back to the door.

"Ari…"

She turned to look at him, her eyes burning with anger. He'd expected that. What he hadn't expected was what happened next. She got out of bed, her baby bump making her a little uneasy on her feet and she walked up slapping him in the face. Then she brought her knee up as best she could and it connected with its intended target between his legs. He fell to the floor, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. She patted over to the door and opened it, sticking her head out.

"Randy can you please get him out of here? And Brett since Teddy is MIA, you get to be the guard for the night. I don't want to look at him ever again."

Randy walked in the room and helped John to his feet and led him out to the car laughing as he did. Ari was feisty even though she was pregnant and she hated John. Which meant she still felt something for him. If she hadn't shown any emotion at all, Randy would have been a little worried.

"You have your work cut out for you my friend." John groaned and nodded as they got in the car and headed to Randy's house.

Ari laid back down on the bed. She knew that John would come back. But she wasn't ready to hear his reasons for leaving. His reasons didn't mean a damn thing to her. She was focused on keeping her daughter safe. Her daughter. The words came so natural to her. She would raise her daughter and forget all about John. But she sighed knowing that was easier said than done.


	22. Chapter 22

John sat on the couch at Randy's house wishing he could be at the hospital taking care of Ari. He needed to explain to her why he'd left. His cell phone rang and he looked at it seeing it was Liz.

"What?"

"Oh Johnny, you didn't honor our deal. And since I am sitting in Randy's driveway right now, I think I will just pay him a little visit." She hung the phone up and knocked on the door. Sam answered the door and her eyes fell on the woman in front of her. Anger began to build in the pit of her stomach and Randy and John both sprinted to the door when they heard raised voices.

"John doesn't want your skank ass anymore. He's moved on to a decent girl. Why can't you just leave him alone?"

"He's mine. He always has been and always will be." Liz said trying to push past her. Sam stood her ground in front of the door and Liz pushed her. John was about to step forward when Randy put his hand out to stop him. He leaned against the door frame of the living room and watched as his wife again punched Liz in the nose. Then without warning, she tackled her to the ground. She punched her again and grabbed handfuls of her hair dragging her over to the stone bench sitting just off the path of the walk way. It had been a gift from John and Liz when they were together. She grabbed the woman by the back of the head and smashed her face into the stone.

"He isn't yours. He has moved on with his life and you are going to get your ass up and leave him alone. He is in love and they have a baby on the way. Sure he fucked up but he will find his way back to her. Now if you don't want to get your ass beat any worse, you get the hell out of my yard right now." Liz managed to stumble to her feet and get to her car. Sam turned back to the house to see John and Randy standing there trying to contain their laughter. She stalked up to the house and gave Randy a kiss before smacking John in the back of the head.

"What the hell was that for?" he said following them into the house.

"For being so fucking stupid. Did you honestly think that I would marry Randy without telling him what happened? I couldn't do that. Now that that's out of the way, you get your ass in there and start trying to figure out ways to get Arianna back because I swear if I don't get to see your daughter grow up, I will hurt you." John threw his hands up in defense. After seeing what she had just done to Liz, he wanted no part of her bad side.

"No way, I don't want to be on your bad side. How'd you learn how to fight like that anyway?"

"You don't stay married to Randy and not pick up a thing or two. Now, I suggest you start thinking about ways to win her back. I'm going to watch a movie." She walked into the living room and sat down.

Arianna stared at the tray in front of her and sighed. She and John were supposed to be on their honeymoon right now. They were supposed to be happily sitting on the beach waiting for the birth of their child. Instead she was in the hospital room waiting on the doctor to come in and tell her the results of the tests she'd taken. The door swung open and Ted walked in with a bag from McDonalds. She smiled gratefully at him and he sat the bag down on the tray in front of her and pulled a chair up next to the bed. She looked at her older brother and smiled. They had always been closer to each other than to their other siblings.

"How are you feeling?" he said between mouthfuls of fries. She shrugged.

"How am I supposed to feel? My fiancé and the father of my child ran off and left me at the altar." He nodded.

"Kristen and I were thinking of taking a little trip soon. Maybe to the islands for a little while. We want you to go with us."

"I would love to."

"So does my niece have a name?"

"Alyssa Rae."

"It's beautiful. Is she going to his last name?" She looked at him and he knew the answer to the question. "Alyssa Rae DiBiase. I love it."

"So, when do we leave?"

"As soon as the doctor clears you…." The door to the room swung open and the doctor walked in.

"Hello Ms. DiBiase. I'm Dr. Calhoune. I reviewed all your tests and you and the baby are just fine. We are going to keep you over night to make sure that there are no further complications. I suggest you take it easy for the rest of your pregnancy. Maybe take a vacation away from the stress."

"I will Dr. Thank you." The doctor left.

"A vacation. Just what the doctor ordered." Ted said. Arianna smiled and threw a fry at him.

John sat on the couch in the living room mindlessly staring at the chick flick that Sam had in. Sex and the City. He rolled his eyes and was about to get up when the thought crossed his mind. He had a plan to get Ari back.


	23. Chapter 23

1 Month Later

Ari walked off the plane feeling a little more relaxed than she had before. The vacation with Ted and Kristen had been exactly what she needed to help her get her mind off John and what he'd done. But she'd have to face it soon. She got in the taxi and had it drop her off at her house. The house she shared with John. She'd have to fix that. She wasn't at all surprised to see his car sitting in the driveway. She thanked the driver and tipped him for carrying her bags to the door before heading in.

In the month that she'd been gone, he'd sent her letters. Lots and lots of letters. 32 to be exact. She'd had Brett stack them up. She didn't want to look at them just yet. She unlocked the door and walked in sitting her keys on the table by the door.

John heard her come in and walked down the stairs hoping to get her to talk to him. He needed her to hear him out. He needed her to hear the reason he left.

"Ari…" She stood there looking at him without really saying a word."Baby please just hear me out."

"Why should I John? You weren't even man enough to tell me that you left. You just did. What the fuck was so much more important than me and my daughter?"

"Our daughter." It was like he'd flipped a switch in her head. Her eyes turned to stone and her hand reached for the closest thing she could find to throw at him. His feet hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs and he barely had time to duck before a crystal ashtray flew across the room at his head missing it by inches.

"She is out daughter Ari and I love you both." he said ducking out of the way as a vase went crashing to the opposite side of the wall.

"You don't love me. You love yourself. I was such a fool. Teddy tried to warn me about you but I just wouldn't listen. I had to fucking fall in love with you. And then you promise that you won't hurt me. But I almost wish that you had hit me John. Because then at least I would still have my heart intact. Like I said she's my daughter. You don't get the right to call her yours anymore. You have to earn it. And when she's born, her last name will be DiBiase. Alyssa Rae DiBiase." She said walking into the kitchen. He followed her and spun her around kissing her. She resisted a little at first and then he could feel her kissing him back. She pulled away and slapped him in the face before pulling him to her and kissing him again.

His hands went to the front of her dress and slid the straps down off her shoulders. She pulled his shirt off and kissed him again. He walked them over to the table and cleared everything off of it with a swipe of his hand. Glass went crashing to the floor and he lifted her up careful not to hurt her.

She ran her finger nails down his back leaving scratches. He hissed a little into her lips and reached underneath her skirt ripping her underwear away. She undid the button of his pants and let them fall to his ankles before pulling him to her again.

"I hate you so much!" She moaned as he kissed his way down her neck and grabbed a handful of her hair giving it a slight tug. He pushed himself inside of her and she gasped in pleasure.

"You are the most frustrating woman in the world." He said as he moved a little faster. She kissed him biting at his bottom lip with her teeth a little. She hadn't wanted to admit it but she'd needed John. She had missed making love to him although nothing they had ever done had been anything like this.

John kept going at the pace he'd started nibbling at her neck and the tops of her breasts. Sex with Ari had always been amazing but angry sex was so much hotter. She dug her nails into his shoulders as she finished and he followed a few seconds later. They sat there quietly until their breathing returned to normal. She pulled herself away from him fixing her dress.

"Get out." She said pushing past him to head up to their bedroom. He shook his head and smiled. What they had just done was prove to him that she still loved him. All he had to do was sit and wait.


	24. Chapter 24

Arianna rambled around the house after John left. She was tired and she had a lot on her mind. She went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She looked at the letters stacked up on the counter. She guessed she should read them. She walked over and grabbed them, putting them in order by date. She opened the first one and rolled her eyes. He'd quoted Shakespeare. She sat that letter to the side and opened the next one. That one quoted some romantic movie that she'd remembered watching with Sam. All the letters were pretty more of the same. Until the last letter.

"Dear Ari,

I wanted to do something special for you. Something you would find romantic. But I didn't know what to do. So I was sitting at Randy and Sam's feeling sorry for myself and she was subjecting us both to the most horrible chick flick marathon ever. But if gave me this idea.

The reason I left was to protect you. Well partially anyway. You see a long time ago, I slept with Sam. We were drunk and we agreed to never speak of it again. Liz decided she wanted me back. She told me that if I didn't leave you and the baby, she'd send these pictures to Randy. I didn't want to lose my best friend or hurt you. I took off to clear my head. But I know now that hurting you was exactly what I did when I left.

Randy already knew. Sam told him before they got married. He told me I was stupid. That I should have been man enough to come to you and talk to you. And he's right. I should have. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I love you and I love Alyssa. I know that you aren't going to be able to let me back in right away but I promise you that I will never give up. I will never stop until we are together and a family again. I will show you that I love you and that you and our daughter mean everything to me. Just promise me that when you read these letters, you will at least talk to me. I love you always.

John."

She folded the letter and wiped her face. Somewhere in the middle of the letter she'd begun crying. This was the man she loved pouring his heart out to her. She knew she would have to talk to him. To actually have a conversation about what happened and what it meant for them. She wanted her daughter to have her father in his life. And she also wanted John in hers.

Pain shot through her stomach and a gush of water covered the floor under the chair she was sitting in. She shook her head and laughed a little. She should have known that angry sex with John would have thrown her into labor. She picked her phone up and called Ted.

"Hey Ari…."

"Hey, um can you do me a favor? Can you come get me and take me to the hospital?"

"Ari what's wrong?"

"Your niece is ready to make her grand entrance."

"I will be right there. Do you want me to call John?" She thought about it for a minute and decided that she would call him when she was a little further into labor.

"Not just yet. I just want to get to the hospital."

John walked into Randy and Sam's and sat down on the couch. Seeing Ari this afternoon had lifted his spirits. Now he just had to wait for her to come to him. Randy walked in and grabbed him by his shirt pulling him up off the couch.

"What the fuck? Dude, I just got back and sat down."

"We need to get to the hospital. Ari's having your baby."

John ran out the door to the waiting Hummer. They drove to the hospital and John hesitated as he got out of the car. Randy stopped to look at him.

"You're going to miss the birth of your child."

"They don't want me up there."

"John, you're my best friend and l love you like a brother. So it doesn't pain me at all to say this to you. Get your head out of your ass and get up there and be there for Ari and your daughter. Be the man that you said you were in all those lame ass letters you wrote her. I know you love her. So be John Cena and fight for her."

"Her family is going to kill me."

"You worry about Ari and let me worry about them. You have every right to be up there. She's your daughter." John nodded and they walked up to the maternity floor.

Ted was pacing back and forth. He looked up at the elevator opened and made his way over to stand in front of Randy and John with Brett and Mike standing beside him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Ted said.

"I'm here to see my daughter being born." John said not backing down an inch.

"You have no right to be here. You caused Ari enough pain. You just need to leave." Brett said

"I have every right to be here. And I don't care if I have to take you all on, I will be in that room to see my daughter come into this world."

"You are crazy as hell if you think you are getting anywhere near that room. Like Brett said, you have no right to be here."

"He has every right to be here Theodore." The men turned and looked at Kristen as she walked out of Ari's room with the pitcher in her hands. "Alyssa is his daughter and he has a right to experience this. Now you quit picking fights in the hospital or I swear to God you will be sleeping on the couch until our son is in college."

"How did you even know she was here?" Mike asked

"I sent him a text." Claire said. John silently thanked his future sister in laws for being on his side. They were the only members of the DiBiase family that seemed to like him these days.

"How could you guys do that?" Ted asked

"They need to work this out on their own. Without any outside interference from you boys. Now step out of the way and let him through." Their mother said as she and Ted Sr. walked up. Ted sighed and motioned for his brothers to step out of the way and let John and Randy through. She looked over at John. "I'm going to go in and talk to Ari and let her know you're here. We will see what happens from there." John nodded his head and thanked her.

Ari was sitting in the bed as another painful contraction rocked through her. She hated John at this point. She couldn't believe that she'd let him do this to her. She breathed through it and smiled at her mother as she came into the room.

"Honey, John is here. He came to check on you and Alyssa. Do you want to see him?" At that moment another contraction hit and she nodded her head. She was getting a little more freaked out every time a contraction hit her and she knew that it was only right that John be in the room with her to experience the birth of their child.

Melanie DiBiase stuck her head out of her daughter's room and motioned for John to come in. He smiled at Ari and walked over to the bed and kissed her on the forehead. Melanie excused herself and John sat down in the chair next to Ari's bed.

"How are you doing?"

"Last check was 6 cm. so it's a waiting game. I read your letters." He nodded. "They were cheesy. All but the last one. Did you mean it?"

"Every word. I know I fucked up. And I know that no amount of saying I'm sorry is going to make up for leaving you. But if you give me a chance, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make this up to you. Please Ari. I need to be there for you and Alyssa. You guys are my life."

She looked at him for a minute and reached her hand out to him. He took it as a sign that he was forgiven until she squeezed it as another contraction hit. He bit his lip and she laughed a little. He was trying. But it would take a lot more than a few cheesy letters and some amazing sex for her to forgive him completely. The doctor came in and checked her progress.

"Alright Arianna, you're ready to have this baby." The doctor looked over at John and instructed him to hold her hand and support her. He nodded. Arianna began to push. She had never felt so much pain in her life. She was sure she was going to die if Alyssa didn't come soon. She relaxed again and pushed a few more times before the room filled with the sounds of her daughter crying.

"It's a healthy baby girl." The doctor said handing the baby to the nurse to be weighed, measured and cleaned up. "She's beautiful." Arianna nodded and sat there looking at her daughter after the nurse handed her over. She looked up at John. Their daughter. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead repeating the same action with Alyssa before he walked outside to give everyone the details. He snapped a picture of them on his phone and walked outside the room.

"She's here. Alyssa Rae 7lbs. 4 oz. 20 inches long. Mama and baby are both perfect and healthy and beautiful."


	25. Chapter 25

6 weeks later…..

Ari put Alyssa down in her crib and closed the door taking the baby monitor and heading into the kitchen. She was a little tired but she was happy. Well, as happy as she could be without John with her. They still hadn't really talked much since Alyssa's birth. He came by to see her three times a week. But she still hadn't talked to them. She was confused. She loved him. More than she ever thought she could. But she didn't know if she could forgive him. She heard her cell phone ringing and went over to grab it before it could wake Alyssa.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I'm in town and was wondering if I could come by and see Lyssa."

"She's asleep but you can still come by. I think we need to talk."

He wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly. She wanted to talk? This was a good sign.

"Um yeah sure. I will be over in an hour." He hung the phone up and looked over at Randy smiling. "Ari wants to talk."

"Then what the hell are you doing sitting here talking to me?"

"I told her I'd be over in an hour. I hope to got she doesn't have any of her family over there. I swear her brothers are like bulldogs."

"She's the baby and the only girl. What did you expect? You have a lot of ass kissing to do. And not just with Ari. I think she's the least of their problems." John nodded his head. "I gotta get in here and see my girls. Alanna is going to my mom's tonight and I want to see her before I go. Don't come back here tonight. Just giving you a heads up." Randy walked back into the house. John shook his head and grabbed the keys out of his pocket. He was glad that Ari was willing to talk. He was hoping that this would be the first step to getting him back where he belonged. With his girls.

Ari sat on the couch and waited for John to get there sipping a glass of wine to calm her nerves. She had a lot of questions. Questions that only John could answer. She kept going over the letters he'd written her in her mind. Had he meant any of it? The knock on the door drove her out of her thoughts. She knew it was John. She took another sip of her wine for courage and got up to answer the door.

"Hey." He said walking in. She closed the door behind him and walked into the living room with him following close behind her. "You look great."

"Thanks." She said sitting down on the couch. "So do you."

"I wrote you letters when you were on vacation."

"I read them. That's actually what I wanted to talk about. Just don't say anything until I'm done okay?" He nodded. "When Sam walked into that room and told me that you were nowhere to be found, I felt like my whole life was over. You promised me and my entire family that you would never hurt me. But you did John. You hurt me worse than anyone else ever has. Josh may have hit me but the one thing he could never do was break my heart. You did that. And what was worse is that you weren't just running out on me. You were running out on our baby. A baby that you told me over and over was conceived in love. I got to thinking to myself that if you could walk away so easily without a word, that you must not have loved me too much. You just left. You didn't come and talk to me. You didn't trust me enough to believe that we could survive this. Josh almost killed us but we both pulled through because we did it together. But you just let your ex come in with this big secret and you run scared. That was bullshit and you know it. Why didn't you come to me?"

"I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want to have to explain that I had this one night with Randy's wife. I didn't think that you would be able to accept it."

"So not only did you not tell me that you met with your ex and that she was blackmailing you but you didn't think that I would be able to get over something that happened before we even met? Way to underestimate me John."

"I'm tired of making excuses for what I did. I shouldn't have left. I should have told you what was going on. But all I saw at the time was losing my best friend. But an even worse thought was losing you and Alyssa. I couldn't have taken that." He said looking at her. "There's more to the story than you know. She's always been a little crazy. I was afraid that if I didn't go away, that she would hurt you."She looked at him and saw the fear that was there when he talked about losing her. He saw the pain from realizing that he'd lost her anyway.

"Did you mean what you said in your letters?"

"Every word." Alyssa started to cry and Arianna jumped to her feet ready to go and get her. "Get on the phone and call and order dinner. Anything you want. Let me go get her." She nodded her head as he walked up the stairs. She got on the phone and ordered a pizza. The baby monitor was still on and she could hear John talking to Alyssa.

"Shhh, it's okay baby girl. It's okay. It was just a bad dream. Daddy's here. I love you. And I promise you that I will always be here to chase the monsters away." She smiled as she heard Alyssa cooing. "I know things have been a little crazy between Mama and me over the last few weeks. That's all Daddy's fault. He messed up big time. But I just want you to know that you and your mama mean the world to me. I don't know what I would do without you both. And if your mom is willing to give me another chance to prove it, I will never mess up again." He rocked her back to sleep and put her down in her crib.

Arianna sat on the couch and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was so ready to forgive him but she still had a few doubts. What if he broke her heart again? Was she really ready to take that chance?


	26. Chapter 26

John came back down stairs and saw that Arianna had been crying. He walked over to her and sat down on the couch beside her grabbing her hand. He looked at her and ran his fingers over hers gently.

"Ari, please, just please give me a chance to prove to you that I love you and I want us to be a family." He whispered so softly she was almost questioning if he'd said anything at all. She looked at him. He was pleading with her. She knew who John was. He was a kind and gentle man who loved with his whole heart. Maybe he did the only thing he thought he could do to protect the people that he loved. The people that meant the most to him. She leaned forward before she could stop herself and kissed him gently on the lips. He pulled her to him, trying to hold her there. He had her back in his arms and he didn't want to let her go. He was almost afraid that if he did let her go, he would never have the chance to hold her again. She broke away from him for a minute and rested her forehead against his.

"God, I missed that." She whispered. He smiled at her slightly. He ran his hand along her jaw line resting his thumb under her ear. "I want us to be a family too." He kissed her again and she settled against his chest.

"How about tomorrow we go out to dinner. Just you and me? I can get Randy and Sam to watch Alyssa for us. You haven't been out since Lyssa was born. You deserve a night out." Arianna nodded her head. She could use a night out. The door bell rang and John got up and paid for the pizza. He walked back over to the couch and sat down next to Ari. She had agreed to give him another chance and he was going to make the most of it. But he was going to need a little help. They sat down and ate dinner, watching some unnamable movie on tv. About halfway through the movie, John looked over and saw that Ari was sleeping. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead pulling a blanket over the two of them.

Ari woke up the next morning and looked at the clock. She jumped off the couch and ran to Alyssa's room. She'd overslept. She stood against the doorway and watched in amazement as John was holding Alyssa , rocking her and feeding her. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Hey, she woke up and you looked so peaceful. I didn't have the heart to wake you. She's been fed, and changed. I'm going to get her ready to go with me. You just relax. I will be back later." He said getting up and getting the baby dressed. He walked over and kissed her. "I will see you tonight." He got the rest of Alyssa things together and kissed her one more time before he walked out of the house. He'd gotten on the phone to Randy earlier and he and Sam had been more than willing to help John out. They'd agreed to keep Alyssa overnight. He pulled up in Randy's driveway and walked into the house.

Sam and Randy were in the kitchen drinking coffee when John walked in the door. Sam walked over and took the carrier from him, grabbing Alyssa out of it and fussing over her. Randy smiled at her. They had talked about having another baby and he'd told her that he wanted to wait. But seeing her standing there, holding their goddaughter, he was rethinking that a little. He looked up at John who sat down in the chair next to him. He seemed happier. More relaxed than he'd seen him in weeks and that made him feel a little better. He knew how much John and Air loved each other and he would do whatever he had to do to make it easier for them to get back together. That included helping John keep her brothers out of his hair.

"So what's your plan for tonight?" Randy asked

"I'm going to make her fall in love with me all over again." John said simply.

Arianna soaked in the tub for a while. It had been a little while since she'd had anytime to herself to just relax. Things were looking up for them. She'd agreed to give John another chance. But there was still a little worry in the pit of her stomach. She had to break the news to her brothers. They wouldn't be so quick to forgive him as she had been. But the feelings of her brothers had never stopped her before. She loved John and he made her happy. And that should be all that mattered.

She started getting ready choosing her favorite black dress. She did her hair and makeup and was ready to go by 6:45. She looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied with the way she looked. There was a knock on the door and she walked down the stairs and answered it. John was standing there with a button up shirt and some nice jeans. He looked amazing. He smiled when he saw her, handing her the flowers he was holding and offering her his arm. This was going to be a night that she wasn't going to forget.


	27. Chapter 27

They drove to a restaurant about an hour away, a comfortable silence between them. Arianna stared out the window stealing little glances at John as he drove. She smiled a little nervously as she turned her attention back toward the window. It wasn't the kind of nervous you felt when something bad was about to happen. It was the kind of nervous you felt in anticipation of something wonderful. And Ari knew what that something wonderful was going to be.

John tried to focus on the road in front of him but found it a little difficult with how beautiful the woman next to him looked. He had a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. But it wasn't a bad nervousness. It was the kind of nervous you felt when you were getting ready for a first date. And that is what it felt like to him. The first in s series of dates that they would spend together for the rest of their lives. If she would still agree to marry him.

They pulled into the restaurant and he walked around the car door and opened it for her. She took the hand that he offered her and he decided that he would broach the subject of them still getting married at dinner.

They were shown into the dimly lit restaurant and back to the private room that he had rented for them. Their table sat in the middle of the room and had candles lit on the table. There was a bottle of wine waiting already chilled in a bucket of ice on one side. Music played softly in the background. She looked over at John and he smiled before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

"This looks amazing." She said.

"I wanted things to be perfect for you." He said as they walked over to the table and he pulled out her chair for her. He walked around the other side of the table and sat down. He wasn't sure how he was going to bring it up. But he knew he had to ask her. He wanted to be married to her and he knew that the only way they were going to be able to do that without him getting the shit kicked out of him was if they eloped. He just hoped that she would be okay with that. He took a breath as he thought about them running away together. The music playing in the background caught his attention. He'd heard her singing it a few times before and it fit the situation they were in perfectly. He stood up and walked over to her side of the table. She looked up at him and smiled as he offered his hand to her without a word. She took it and they walked to the middle of the floor. He pulled her to him and she rested her head on his cheek, breathing in the scent of his cologne. She'd missed this. Being wrapped in his arms. Them being together without a care in the world.

He closed his eyes as his cheek rested against the top of her head, her hair brushing softly against it. He'd been dreaming of the moment that he got to hold her in his arms again. And it was finally here. They swayed softly to the music, neither of them saying a word.

"Come a little closer baby, I feel like letting go. Of everything that's come between us and the love we used to know." She sang softly in time with the music. He pulled her back and looked at her for a moment. He saw that she meant the words. It was like she was speaking right to his heart.

Not long after, the waiter brought their dinner and they ate laughing and talking like old times. He looked at her and smiled. Maybe she did want the same things he did. Maybe she did want to be married to him and for them to be a family. He was suddenly overcome by a case of the nerves. Something that Arianna only seemed to bring out in him. He couldn't bring himself to ask her about getting married. Not here in the restaurant. Not right now. He knew she would want the whole wedding that they had planned. To be surrounded by her family and their friends.

After dinner, they headed back out to the car. A bolt of lightning struck across the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. He grabbed her hand and they walked to the car hand in hand. He opened her door for her and got in the car himself. He barely got the keys in the ignition when he felt her hand on his arm gently. He looked over at her and she leaned forward pressing her lips to his. He wound his fingers in the loose curls of her hair and pulled her over into his lap, adjusting the seat back as he did. He never broke the kiss. His hands ran down her sides and he felt a small shiver run through her when his tongue found its way into her mouth. His lips moved to her neck as she slowly ran her hands down his chest and let them rest on the button of his jeans. His own hands wandered up her thighs and under the skirt of her dress. Rain was beating on the windows of the car now and the heat that was flowing between them had begun to steam up the windows from the inside. Her underwear was thrown absently over his shoulder into the backseat. She had somehow managed to push his jeans and his boxers down to his ankles. He kissed her again before he gently grabbed her hips and pulled her down on him. She moaned a little against his lips.

John couldn't believe what they were doing. He couldn't believe that they were actually making love in the car. But he was loving every second of it. He held her to him as close as he could as he began to move inside of her. His lips again attached themselves to her neck and she held the back of his head, keeping them there.

Arianna hadn't planned on making love to him in the car but the feeling had just taken over her and she couldn't help herself. She was in love of this man and all she wanted was to be with him. She didn't care that some of her friends and her family would be a little less than supportive of her decision. All she cared about was starting over with John so that she could be in his arms every night. She felt herself getting closer to the edge. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips as she came. He finished a few seconds later and they laid there for a moment in the front seat of his car. She had her head resting against his chest and he was running his fingers through her hair. Suddenly his courage was returning to him and he opened his mouth saying only two words to her.

"Marry me." She lifted her head and looked at him. She leaned in and kissed her again before she answered.

"I thought you'd never ask."


	28. Chapter 28

John looked over at her and smiled before kissing her again and getting himself together. He couldn't believe that she was going to be his wife. A part of him was thrilled but another part of him was worried. He knew that her brothers would never let them get married in peace. He looked over at her again and saw her smiling at him. He wondered what was running through her mind. Nothing prepared him for what she was about to say next.

"Let's get married tonight."

"Tonight? Are you sure?" He knew how important her family was to her and he didn't want to deny her the big wedding that they had planned almost four months earlier. He knew that he would fight her brothers if he had to. But he didn't care. He wanted her and he was going to do whatever he had to do to make sure that she was his."I mean don't you want your family there?"

She sighed deeply. She would love to have the family wedding. Her father walking her down the aisle in her beautiful white dress and her brothers all there smiling and happy for her. But her brothers were less than accepting of John and she knew that the only way they would get over this was for them to get married and then tell them. Then they would have to accept John.

"I would love that. But that isn't going to happen. I love you John and I want the rest of our lives together to start now. We've already lost all this time and I don't want to lose anymore. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And what better time than now?"

He nodded his head and leaned over to give her a kiss before he started the car and drove toward the one all night wedding chapel that was in town. He was a little nervous. He had no idea how her family would react to the fact that they'd run off in the middle of the night and gotten married. He could imagine that they would be less than pleased. They stopped the car in front and he looked over at her as she fixed her hair and makeup. In just a few short minutes, they would be husband and wife. He got out of the car and opened her door for her when he was sure she was ready. They walked into the chapel arm and arm and asked the elderly clerk at the desk about getting things underway. She smiled at them and directed them into the room that was the chapel.

She excused herself to get her husband and came back a few minutes later and pulled Arianna away to get ready. John looked at the elderly man in front of him and the way he looked at his wife. They had to be in his seventies but they still looked so much in love. He knew that he and Arianna would be like that one day.

Arianna came back in a few minutes later with a simple bouquet of roses and a veil. She never looked more beautiful. She walked over to John and looped her arm through his smiling. They turned their attention to the man in front of them and he began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in matrimony. Why don't you each say a few words to each other?" John nodded not really knowing where to start.

"Ari, you are the most important thing in my life. I love you more than I thought I could ever love anyone. You and Alyssa are my life and I promise that I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know just how much you mean to me." He slipped the ring he'd bought while she was getting ready on her hand.

"John, things haven't always been easy for us. But if things had been easy I don't think we would be here right now in this moment. I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. I love you so much." She slipped the matching ring to hers on his finger.

They turned their attention back to the elderly man and he smiled at them.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Son, you may kiss your bride." John breathed a sigh of relief before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. She was finally his wife and he knew that they could survive whatever was thrown his way as long as they were together.

They went back to the house and spent most of the rest of the night making love. He knew that he'd have to face her family in the morning. But he didn't care. Arianna was his wife and he loved her more than anything in this world. This was the happiest he had ever been and he'd fight to keep that happiness if he had to.


	29. Chapter 29

John woke up the next morning with his arms wrapped around Arianna and smiled as he caught sight of the gold band on her hand that matched the one on his own. He had his girls and they were a family. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting out of bed and sliding on some shorts before he headed to the kitchen to make her breakfast in bed.

The thought momentarily crossed his mind that he needed to let Randy know what happened the night before and check on Alyssa. So he picked up his cell phone and called Randy's number. He knew he would be up.

"Hello?" Randy said breathlessly.

"Dude, did you answer the phone while having sex again?" John asked with a little chuckle.

"No, I'm at the gym working out with Ted and Cody. What's up?"

"Not much. I called to check on Alyssa, tell you that Ari and I got married last night and see how your day was going so far." John said while getting the eggs out of the fridge.

"You and Ari did what?" Randy asked. The mention of his sister's name caused Ted to stop what he was doing and pay full attention to Randy's end of the conversation. "Well shit man. Congrats." Ted dropped the weight he was holding, sprinted over to his gym bag and ran out of the gym like he was late for something. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Cena had somehow convinced his sister to marry him and they two of them had run off together. But he was going to be damned if he was just going to sit around and let him break her heart all over again. He got on his cell phone as he sped out of the parking lot toward his sister's house.

"Hello?" he heard his brother Brett reply through the receiver of the phone.

"Get to Ari's house. Bring Mike. I will meet you guys there. They ran off and fucking got married last night."

"Uh, John. Don't be surprised if you have three very pissed off DiBiase brothers at your house very soon. Ted overheard our conversation. Yeah. Cody and I are leaving the gym now. We're on the way." He grabbed his bag and he and Cody ran out to his car speeding out of the parking lot as well. They had to get to the house and try and talk some sense into Ted and his brothers before they completely beat the shit out of John.

John looked at his cell phone for a minute after Randy had hung up. He had known that he was going to have to face his wife's brothers but he was hoping to have more than one day of wedded bliss before that happened. He decided not to worry about it and continued cooking breakfast for Ari determined to let her sleep as long as possible before she was woken up by the sounds of her brothers kicking his ass. He knew it was coming and he knew he deserved it. And that was one beating he would gladly take as long as it meant that they could put the past behind them and he and Ari could completely start over. He felt arms wrap around him and he turned to face her giving her a kiss as he took in her appearance. She was wearing his t shirt and she looked way better in it than he ever could.

"You ruined the surprise. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed." He said giving her another kiss before placing the plate of eggs in front of her.

"I got a little worried when I woke up and you weren't there. I thought last night was all a dream." She said sitting across from him at the table.

"If last night was a dream then I don't ever want to wake up." He leaned forward to kiss her but the tires screeching to a stop in front of the house caused them to separate and look out the window as Ted, Brett and Mike got out of two different cars and came walking toward the front door. John looked over at Ari and sighed. "I forgot to tell you. Your family knows that we're married." He said as her brothers led by Ted came busting through the front door.

"Arianna, what the fuck is going on here!" Ted said as he stopped half way between the kitchen door and the table. His fists were clenched at his sides and Ari could tell that he was pissed off. More pissed off than she had ever remembered seeing him before.

"John and I are back together. We got married last night." She said getting up from the table and walking over to her brother. Ted looked at her for a moment before he shook his head furiously.

"Like hell you are."

"We are. And now you have to let go of whatever it is you have against him and we can all start over."

"That's bullshit. I will NEVER get over what he did to you. Or to my niece. He left you at the altar. You were fighting to hold on to his kid. A kid it seemed like he sure as hell didn't want when he up and hopped a plane to wherever the fuck it was he ran off to the fucking day of your wedding. He's a coward. A no good deadbeat father coward and if you stay with him, you're dumber than I thought." Ted said. Ari didn't even think as she brought her left hand up and slapped him hard across the face causing him to stumble backward a few steps. She had never hit him before and he was a little shocked that she had actually hit him.

"You may be my big brother but I am a grown woman and you will not disrespect me or my husband in my house. John and I are married. We love each other. Why can't you understand that and forgive him? I did."

"Because he'll just up and leave you again. Like he did before." Brett said looking at John. "Come on Ari, you don't have to whore yourself out to him." As soon as the words left Brett's mouth, John was out of his chair and standing near the island.

"Don't talk to her like that." John said, his voice low and thick with anger.

"You shut the fuck up! You don't get a say in anything. Not to do with Ari and not to do with Alyssa. You lost that right when you abandoned them." Mike said. Ted looked at Ari, his hand still resting on his face. She had tears in her eyes.

"I think you should go now." Ari said her voice beginning to crack a little. John walked over and put his arms around her and she melted into him. Her brothers stood there for a moment, not making any effort to leave the house. John looked up from where he was hugging his wife and looked at his brother in laws.

"She asked you to go." He said. Ted didn't say another word. He pulled Ari to the side and punched John in the face causing him to stumble backward a little and hit the kitchen table with some force. Dishes tumbled to the ground breaking on impact. Ari began to scream and tried pulling Ted away from John as he advanced toward him and tackled him. They fell backward crashing through the table and backing John into the window cracking it. He pushed Ted back a little and landed a punch to his jaw making him stumble. Mike rushed forward to catch him and Brett walked over landing his own punch to the side of John's head. John stumbled a little and regained his footing before he landed a punch to the side of Brett's face. Brett took a few steps backward and again advanced forward meeting John's fist as it landed in his torso. Ted grabbed him from behind and pulled his arms behind him and Mike walked over punching John in the chest, stomach and face. Ari was screaming for them to stop. She grabbed her cell phone and walked outside as Randy and Cody pulled up in the driveway.

"You have to get in there and stop them. They're ganging up on him." she said tears streaming down her face. Randy gave her a quick hug and walked into the house with Cody close behind him as Ari frantically dialed Kristen's number. She knew she had to get her sister in laws there and fast or they were all going to go to jail.

"Hello?"

"Kris, you have to get Claire and get in the car and get over here. They're trying to kill John." Arianna sobbed into the phone.

"Ari calm down. Who is trying to kill John?"

"Your husband."

"Okay, calm down sweetie. Claire, Mama and Papa DiBiase will be there soon." Just as Ari hung up the phone, Randy came busting through the door with Brett following close behind him. Randy landed on the ground and Brett immediately tackled him again throwing punches. Ted and John emerged a few minutes later and it was much the same thing. Cody and Mike came out the door a few seconds later and somehow Cody went air born and went through the windshield of Ted's car. Randy had gained the upper hand on Brett and was punching him in the face. John punched Ted in the face and had drawn back to punch him again when another car pulled up and Ted Sr., Melanie, Kristen and Claire got out of the car. Arianna ran over and hugged her mother crying into her shoulder. Melanie confronted her daughter and Ted Sr. walked over pulling his boys away from Randy, John and Cody as if they were still children.

"Michael Willis, Theodore Marvin and Brett Alan, what the hell are you doing?" their father yelled at them.

"Why don't you ask your daughter what she did last night?" Ted said wiping the blood off hip lip. His eye began to bruise and his body ached all over. Ted Sr. looked at his daughter. "She ran off and got married to that piece of shit last night." Ted yelled. Ted Sr. looked over at John and smirked so that the boys couldn't see him.

"That doesn't explain why you're over here fighting with him and your friends."

"This is bullshit Dad. He runs off and leaves her at the altar and pregnant and then shows back up and she falls all over herself to be with him again?" Brett said holding his eye.

"Watch your mouth Brett." His father said looking at his youngest son.

"But Dad…" Mike started.

"But nothing. Arianna is a grown woman. She can make her own decisions. And if she loves John and wants to be married him, who are you to stop it. Don't you want your sister to be happy?"

"Yes but….."

"No buts. Now you owe your sister an apology and you will help fix everything that is broken in there do you understand me?"

"Yes Sir." He then turned to John and extended his hand for him to shake. John took his hand and shook it.

"Welcome to the family son. All I ask is that you take care of my daughter and my granddaughter and not disappear on her again."

"Yes Sir. I promise."

Ted huffed. "His promises don't mean shit."

"What was that Theodore?" Kristen said walking over to her husband.

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought." She said as he moved his head from side to side looking his injuries over.

"He said that John's promises don't mean shit. And that's the truth." Brett said. His wife Claire who had walked across the yard with Kristen smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow."

"Quit whining you big baby." She said and she stood there crossing her arms over her chest. Melanie looked at her sons and their wives and smiled to herself. Then she looked over at her son in law and back at her daughter.

"Now that this is all settled, I think you boys owe your sister and her…..husband an apology." Melanie said. The boys groaned. "You three are not too old for me to turn you over my knee. I said apologize NOW!"

"Sorry." Ted said.

"Me too." Mike said. Everyone looked at Brett who didn't say anything until his wife punched his arm playfully.

"Ow! Damn it woman. Randy already kicked my ass and I don't need it from you too."

"Then you open your mouth and apologize to your sister and John and Randy and Cody." Claire said glaring at her husband.

"Fine. I'm sorry guys."

Arianna walked over to her brothers and hugged them all. She was appreciative that they were so overprotective of her but she hoped that this helped them to realize that she was a grown woman who was capable of making her own decisions. She then walked back over to her husband and looked at his face. Her brothers had done a number on him. And she couldn't say that he hadn't deserved it. She was just glad that it was behind them and they could move on with their lives and be one big happy family.


	30. Chapter 30

Prologue: One Year Later

Arianna Cena sat in her husband's locker room with their daughter Alyssa waiting for him to return. He was facing the Miz in a non title match. She heard the locker room door open and saw him walk in with Randy, Cody and her brother Teddy. She smiled at them and placed her one year old daughter on the couch struggling against her pregnant belly to get up. John smiled and walked over to her giving her a quick kiss before rubbing her belly lovingly. Ted rolled his eyes playfully as he looked at his sister and his brother in law in the intimate embrace. Behind them, his niece stirred and looked up at her father, reaching for him. He picked her up and kissed her on the forehead and she rested against his should.

"You guys need any help getting back to the hotel?" he asked as he looked at them. John shook his head as he looked at Ted. It had taken them nearly six months to fully recover from everything that had happened but things had finally gotten back to normal. He'd been a little nervous about telling Ari's family about the new baby. They'd been surprisingly accepting.

"Nah man, I think we'll be okay." Alyssa looked at her uncle and reached for him. He took her from John and smiled when she made a face realizing he was all sweaty from his match. He laughed a little and she hugged on to his neck.

"TJ?" she asked

"If it's okay with your mama and daddy, you can come with me to see TJ okay?"

"It's fine. We will meet you for breakfast in the morning." Ari said as she wrapped her arms around John's waist and leaned her head against his chest. Ted gathered her things and gave his sister a hug before he walked out of the room. Randy looked at his two friends and smiled. They loved each other so much that it was sickening. He was glad that they'd finally settled all their differences and were happy with each other. He grabbed his bag and walked out of the locker room with Cody following close behind him.

John looked at Ari and kissed her on the top of her head. He grabbed their bags and led her out to the car so they could get back to the hotel and get some rest. He thought back to the past year. He swore to himself that he could never fall in love with someone like her. He'd thought she was such a princess. So protected and that she wasn't about anything but spending daddy's money and wasting her life away.

Arianna looked over at her husband and smiled. She'd thought he was so conceded before. That he only cared about himself and what he could accomplish. She secretly thanked God every day since that the elevator had gotten stuck and that they'd both realized they couldn't have been farther from the truth.


End file.
